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From the TouchPad to the iPad, Steve Jobs to the fictional "iPhone 5," 2011 had its share of major tech stories. We lost an icon, debated the merits of Android vs. iOS, saw a few notable companies struggle through major PR snafus, and witnessed more than one battle play out in the courts and on Capitol Hill. Barring the release of a new Apple product, a huge merger, or a major privacy gaffe in the next few days, here are the biggest tech news stories of 2011, as well as a few honorable mentions.
10. Google+
Google might be the king of search, but prior to June 2011, its social efforts had been less than spectacular. No one really understood what Google Wave was all about and Google Buzz was mired in privacy-related concerns, culminating in a Federal Trade Commission settlement. But this summer, Google took a few pages from Facebook's playbook and unveiled Google+. Many features were reminiscent of Facebook, but Google+ also incorporated the concept of "Circles" for grouping friends, as well as group video chats known as Hangouts. Google+ launched with a limited beta, and a Google+ invite quickly became the hottest ticket in town. It went public in September, and Google CEO Larry Page said a month later that the service had at least 40 million users. Since then, Google has incorporated a number of its services into Google+, including Reader and YouTube, eventually killing off Buzz to focus on Google+.
Google might be the king of search, but prior to June 2011, its social efforts had been less than spectacular. No one really understood what Google Wave was all about and Google Buzz was mired in privacy-related concerns, culminating in a Federal Trade Commission settlement. But this summer, Google took a few pages from Facebook's playbook and unveiled Google+. Many features were reminiscent of Facebook, but Google+ also incorporated the concept of "Circles" for grouping friends, as well as group video chats known as Hangouts. Google+ launched with a limited beta, and a Google+ invite quickly became the hottest ticket in town. It went public in September, and Google CEO Larry Page said a month later that the service had at least 40 million users. Since then, Google has incorporated a number of its services into Google+, including Reader and YouTube, eventually killing off Buzz to focus on Google+.
9. Apple Goes to War Over Patents
Apple is not kidding around when it comes to patents. Cupertino filed suit against Motorola and HTC last year, arguing that the companies used its technologies in their devices. But things really got ugly this year when Apple went after Samsung for "slavishly" copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad with its Galaxy line of devices. Since April, when Apple first filed its suit, the two companies have filed more than two dozen lawsuits against each other around the globe. Apple has been successful in getting the Galaxy Tab 10.1 temporarily banned in Germany, and got the tablet delayed in Australia. Samsung has not had as much luck in going after Apple, with courts in Italy and France denying injunction requests against the iPhone 4S. Earlier this month, however, a U.S. judge denied Apple's request for a preliminary injunction against four Samsung products. The battle will surely continue into 2012, so stay tuned.
Apple is not kidding around when it comes to patents. Cupertino filed suit against Motorola and HTC last year, arguing that the companies used its technologies in their devices. But things really got ugly this year when Apple went after Samsung for "slavishly" copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad with its Galaxy line of devices. Since April, when Apple first filed its suit, the two companies have filed more than two dozen lawsuits against each other around the globe. Apple has been successful in getting the Galaxy Tab 10.1 temporarily banned in Germany, and got the tablet delayed in Australia. Samsung has not had as much luck in going after Apple, with courts in Italy and France denying injunction requests against the iPhone 4S. Earlier this month, however, a U.S. judge denied Apple's request for a preliminary injunction against four Samsung products. The battle will surely continue into 2012, so stay tuned.
8. Netflix
Netflix kicked off 2011 as the company to beat: it had 20 million subscribers, up from 16.9 million in October, and it dominated the movie-streaming space. But in mid-July, it surprised (and angered) customers by announced plans to split its streaming and DVD plans. Rather than a bundled option for one DVD and unlimited streaming for $9.99 per month, Netflix would charge $7.99 for one DVD and $7.99 for unlimited streaming, almost doubling the price of subscribing to both services. If that wasn't enough change, Netflix then announced plans to separate into two businesses: Netflix for streaming and "Qwikster" for DVD rentals. Amidst the public backlash, Netflix ditched plans for Qwikster and apologized for the cavalier way in which it handled the price hikes. Ultimately, however, the company's missteps cost it 800,000 customers, Netflix revealed during an October earnings calls. More recently, there have been reports that Verizon might acquire Netflix, but nothing has been announced.
Netflix kicked off 2011 as the company to beat: it had 20 million subscribers, up from 16.9 million in October, and it dominated the movie-streaming space. But in mid-July, it surprised (and angered) customers by announced plans to split its streaming and DVD plans. Rather than a bundled option for one DVD and unlimited streaming for $9.99 per month, Netflix would charge $7.99 for one DVD and $7.99 for unlimited streaming, almost doubling the price of subscribing to both services. If that wasn't enough change, Netflix then announced plans to separate into two businesses: Netflix for streaming and "Qwikster" for DVD rentals. Amidst the public backlash, Netflix ditched plans for Qwikster and apologized for the cavalier way in which it handled the price hikes. Ultimately, however, the company's missteps cost it 800,000 customers, Netflix revealed during an October earnings calls. More recently, there have been reports that Verizon might acquire Netflix, but nothing has been announced.
7. What Happened, RIM?
When Research in Motion unveiled its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet last year, expectations were high. "BlackBerry PlayBook is RIM's Revolution," PCMag's Sascha Segan wrote at the time. Unfortunately, the April launch wasn't a rousing success. Where was that native email? Contacts apps, anyone? By May, RIM recalled 1,000 PlayBooks due to a software glitch, Sprint canceled the PlayBook 4G, and then the price drops started. In addition to PlayBook troubles, however, RIM was also hit with the worst BlackBerry outage in its history in October. The company was then sued over the use of BBX, the name for its next-gen OS, which combined elements of QNX and BlackBerry OS 7. Eventually, RIM switched the name to BlackBerry 10. By mid-December, RIM wrote off $485 million worth of PlayBooks that it was unable to sell, and delayed BlackBerry 10 phones because of component issues.
When Research in Motion unveiled its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet last year, expectations were high. "BlackBerry PlayBook is RIM's Revolution," PCMag's Sascha Segan wrote at the time. Unfortunately, the April launch wasn't a rousing success. Where was that native email? Contacts apps, anyone? By May, RIM recalled 1,000 PlayBooks due to a software glitch, Sprint canceled the PlayBook 4G, and then the price drops started. In addition to PlayBook troubles, however, RIM was also hit with the worst BlackBerry outage in its history in October. The company was then sued over the use of BBX, the name for its next-gen OS, which combined elements of QNX and BlackBerry OS 7. Eventually, RIM switched the name to BlackBerry 10. By mid-December, RIM wrote off $485 million worth of PlayBooks that it was unable to sell, and delayed BlackBerry 10 phones because of component issues.
6. HP Wavers on WebOS, Consumer PCs
Like RIM, HP also unveiled its own tablet, the HP TouchPad. But while it got good reviews, the TouchPad couldn't compete with Apple's ubiquitous iPad. As a result, HP said in August that it wouldend support for webOS-based devices, including the TouchPad. But a funny thing happened on the way to liquidation—when the TouchPad was reduced to $99, people couldn't snap them up fast enough, and the TouchPad became the hottest ticket in town, with a recent sale crashing eBay. In August, the company also announced that it would ditch its PC business, but when Meg Whitman stepped in as CEO shortly thereafter, she announced that HP would retain the PC business after all. Eventually, HP also decided to open-source webOS rather than sell to the highest bidder. Whitman recently suggested we might see another webOS tablet, but not until 2013.
Like RIM, HP also unveiled its own tablet, the HP TouchPad. But while it got good reviews, the TouchPad couldn't compete with Apple's ubiquitous iPad. As a result, HP said in August that it wouldend support for webOS-based devices, including the TouchPad. But a funny thing happened on the way to liquidation—when the TouchPad was reduced to $99, people couldn't snap them up fast enough, and the TouchPad became the hottest ticket in town, with a recent sale crashing eBay. In August, the company also announced that it would ditch its PC business, but when Meg Whitman stepped in as CEO shortly thereafter, she announced that HP would retain the PC business after all. Eventually, HP also decided to open-source webOS rather than sell to the highest bidder. Whitman recently suggested we might see another webOS tablet, but not until 2013.
5. Sony PlayStation Hack
"The summer of our discontent is behind us," Sony CEO Howard Stringer said at September's IFA conference in Berlin. That discontent was, of course, was the massive hack of the company's PlayStation Network, which forced it to take the popular gaming service, and eventually Sony Online Entertainment, offline for several weeks in late April. The hack affected approximately 70 million gamers, but it was also a huge PR nightmare for Sony. The company faced congressional inquiries over the possibility that credit card data was among the information stolen from its database, and even after the system came back online in mid-May, it took several weeks before things were back to normal, prompting a "Welcome Back" package to retain users. Sony suggested that hacking group Anonymous was behind the intrusion, but the group denied any involvement. By September, Sony hired a former Department of Homeland Security official to head up information security and privacy issues.
"The summer of our discontent is behind us," Sony CEO Howard Stringer said at September's IFA conference in Berlin. That discontent was, of course, was the massive hack of the company's PlayStation Network, which forced it to take the popular gaming service, and eventually Sony Online Entertainment, offline for several weeks in late April. The hack affected approximately 70 million gamers, but it was also a huge PR nightmare for Sony. The company faced congressional inquiries over the possibility that credit card data was among the information stolen from its database, and even after the system came back online in mid-May, it took several weeks before things were back to normal, prompting a "Welcome Back" package to retain users. Sony suggested that hacking group Anonymous was behind the intrusion, but the group denied any involvement. By September, Sony hired a former Department of Homeland Security official to head up information security and privacy issues.
4. AT&T Fails to Acquire T-Mobile
On an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon in March, AT&T surprised the tech community when itannounced plans to acquire T-Mobile for $39 billion. AT&T argued that the purchase would help stop the spectrum crunch and spur the companies' deployment of 4G service. Detractors, especially rival Sprint, countered that the deal would lead to a duopoly, with AT&T and Verizon controlling the wireless industry, and likely lead to job cuts and price hikes. By August, it was clear that the Justice Department agreed, and it sued to blocked the merger, arguing that it was anti-competitive. The FCC followed up in November with a similar ruling, prompting AT&T to pull its merger application from the commission. Those two regulatory hurdles proved too much for the troubled deal, though, and AT&T on Dec. 19 announced that it would abandon plans to acquire T-Mobile.
On an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon in March, AT&T surprised the tech community when itannounced plans to acquire T-Mobile for $39 billion. AT&T argued that the purchase would help stop the spectrum crunch and spur the companies' deployment of 4G service. Detractors, especially rival Sprint, countered that the deal would lead to a duopoly, with AT&T and Verizon controlling the wireless industry, and likely lead to job cuts and price hikes. By August, it was clear that the Justice Department agreed, and it sued to blocked the merger, arguing that it was anti-competitive. The FCC followed up in November with a similar ruling, prompting AT&T to pull its merger application from the commission. Those two regulatory hurdles proved too much for the troubled deal, though, and AT&T on Dec. 19 announced that it would abandon plans to acquire T-Mobile.
3. Amazon Kindle Fire
By mid-2011, it was clear that Apple had nothing to fear with the HP TouchPad or BlackBerry PlayBook, but could Amazon change that? Rumors about an Android-based, Amazon-branded table made headlines all summer, with one analyst predicting that an Amazon tablet was the "only credible" iPad competitor. The online retailer finally unveiled its Amazon Kindle Fire tablet in late September with an enticing price point—just $199. But the 7-inch device, as well as the rival Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, was largely seen as a low-priced alternative to the iPad rather than a "iPad killer." There were reports of some users being unhappy with their Fire purchase, but Amazon claims the devices, as well as other Kindle devices, are flying off the shelves at a rate of "well over" one million per week.
By mid-2011, it was clear that Apple had nothing to fear with the HP TouchPad or BlackBerry PlayBook, but could Amazon change that? Rumors about an Android-based, Amazon-branded table made headlines all summer, with one analyst predicting that an Amazon tablet was the "only credible" iPad competitor. The online retailer finally unveiled its Amazon Kindle Fire tablet in late September with an enticing price point—just $199. But the 7-inch device, as well as the rival Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, was largely seen as a low-priced alternative to the iPad rather than a "iPad killer." There were reports of some users being unhappy with their Fire purchase, but Amazon claims the devices, as well as other Kindle devices, are flying off the shelves at a rate of "well over" one million per week.
2. No iPhone 5
The first mention of an "iPhone 5" on PCMag came in December 2010, and throughout 2011, there were at least 92 more stories with "iPhone 5" in the headline. But when Apple finally held its much-anticipated iPhone event in October, it launched the iPhone 4S, a device identical on the outside to the iPhone 4, but with a dual-core processor, souped-up camera, and Siri voice assistant on the inside. Many an Apple fan expressed disappointment with the move, but it shouldn't be that surprising. The iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS didn't differ too much on the outside, so it makes sense that Apple would keep the same form factor for at least another generation. Some were hoping for a little 4G action, however, but don't expect that until slimmer chips from Qualcomm are introduced next year. Despite the lack of the "iPhone 5," consumers still snapped up the iPhone 4S, with Apple selling at least 4 million of the smartphones in the first three days it was available.
The first mention of an "iPhone 5" on PCMag came in December 2010, and throughout 2011, there were at least 92 more stories with "iPhone 5" in the headline. But when Apple finally held its much-anticipated iPhone event in October, it launched the iPhone 4S, a device identical on the outside to the iPhone 4, but with a dual-core processor, souped-up camera, and Siri voice assistant on the inside. Many an Apple fan expressed disappointment with the move, but it shouldn't be that surprising. The iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS didn't differ too much on the outside, so it makes sense that Apple would keep the same form factor for at least another generation. Some were hoping for a little 4G action, however, but don't expect that until slimmer chips from Qualcomm are introduced next year. Despite the lack of the "iPhone 5," consumers still snapped up the iPhone 4S, with Apple selling at least 4 million of the smartphones in the first three days it was available.
1. Death of Steve Jobs
It was late in the day on Oct. 5, and just one day after Apple had unveiled its new iPhone 4S, when Cupertino confirmed the sad news. The company's co-founder, Steve Jobs, had died. Jobs had battled cancer for years, taking several leaves of absence and even undergoing a liver transplant, but by August 2011, Jobs realized the time had come to say goodbye. He resigned from his post as Apple CEO, handing the reigns over to Tim Cook, and two months later, he passed away surrounded by family. In a touching eulogy printed by the New York Times, Jobs' sister shared his last moments, which included a phrase many had uttered when looking at a new Apple product: "Oh wow." Upon hearing the news of his death, fans flocked to Apple Stores around the world to pay their respects, and Apple later held a star-studded memorial service at its Cupertino headquarters. His life was chronicled in a Walter Isaacson biography, published about three weeks after his death, but for more, see PCMag's look back at Jobs's life and career.
It was late in the day on Oct. 5, and just one day after Apple had unveiled its new iPhone 4S, when Cupertino confirmed the sad news. The company's co-founder, Steve Jobs, had died. Jobs had battled cancer for years, taking several leaves of absence and even undergoing a liver transplant, but by August 2011, Jobs realized the time had come to say goodbye. He resigned from his post as Apple CEO, handing the reigns over to Tim Cook, and two months later, he passed away surrounded by family. In a touching eulogy printed by the New York Times, Jobs' sister shared his last moments, which included a phrase many had uttered when looking at a new Apple product: "Oh wow." Upon hearing the news of his death, fans flocked to Apple Stores around the world to pay their respects, and Apple later held a star-studded memorial service at its Cupertino headquarters. His life was chronicled in a Walter Isaacson biography, published about three weeks after his death, but for more, see PCMag's look back at Jobs's life and career.
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