The year is almost in the history books, and what a tumultuous year it has been for technology. I can’t think of any year in recent technological history that can rival 2013. We had senior leaders leave their companies and go into retirement.
The biggest news this year without a doubt has been the dramatic downward movement of Nokia and BlackBerry. BlackBerry has had a year in which they lost their legacy as a mobile innovator. Their replacement CEO was also shown the door after the company failed to find new investors. Thorsten Heins arguably never got a proper chance to rebuild the once industry-leader BlackBerry, previously known as RIM.
But the tech wars are not over yet, as many tech-based businesses still face arduous times in 2014, and beyond.
Atari, Sony and Nintendo are all looking at the heavens and hoping that customers will buy their product as 2013 has been a very tough year for them.
The other big story this year has been the downward movement of Dell. The company went from being financially-challenged public conglomerate to being a private company with finances that are no longer public knowledge. Apple has continued to release products that are very popular. The iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C have all received positive reviews and is presently amidst the most sought-after Android phones on the market, despite the iPhone 5C being a slow seller.
Samsung managed to a steady hand at the wheel, managed to secure an amazing year in sales, dubbing them market leaders in smart phones sector. The Samsung S IV has become a very popular device of choice for many cellphone users globally.
The world also lost two visionary founders – Amare Bose and the inventor of the mouse, Doug Engelbart. The gentleman both had significant impact on the technology landscape.
But my favourite news story for 2013 is without a doubt the sudden announcement from Microsoft to acquire Nokia’s hardware business. Not a single analyst saw it coming but it changed the layout of the mobile phone industry. 2013 was a year that contained a lot of change, and we can only hope that 2014 will bring a sense of stability to tech industry.
