Top Tech News of 2011

2011, which has almost come to an end, has seen some good, some bad and some really sad tech news. Whether it’s the unveiling of several innovative gadgets and apps, or the unfortunate passing of some important tech heroes, 2011 was full of ups and downs.

So, to wrap up this momentous year, we’ve decided to give you a quick flashback of all the important tech stories of 2011.

January

The year kicked off with Android dethroning Nokia to become the leading smartphone platform in the world. According to a report by Canalys, around 33.3 million mobile phones were running the Android operating system in Q4 2010.

February

February saw Google accusing Bing of copying their search results. The ambitious search venture by Redmond suffered a massive PR blow when the Google published a blog post detailing Bing’s evil activities. Though the Microsoft-owned site is yet to see any major success, it’s still seen as a big competitor to Google’s search domination.

March

1. The popular blog host Wordpress.com suffered largest DDoS attack in its history. The attack, which originated from China, took down a large number of sites. Though short-lived, the minor discrepancy rang a few alarm bells within the blogging community.

2. Steve Jobs unveiled the highly awaited iPad 2 on March 2, 2011. A few days later the coveted tablet went on sale breaking previous records.

April

1. Sony’s PlayStation Network suffered a massive outage that resulted in huge PR problems for the company. The attack that affected PlayStation Online and Qrocity services left around 77 million people without access to the online services. Soon, the company tried to allay fears of possible data thefts and a leak of personal details by issuing a series of press releases. Finally, when the problems were resolved, Sony gave away a bonus package to all its online customers along with a mandatory security update.

2. Ubuntu 11.04, which featured the contentious Unity interface, was released into the wild. The interface, which was clumsy, and sometimes downright unusable, drew heavy criticism from the Linux community. Moreover, many users switched to Mint soon after Ubuntu 11.04 was released, later propelling Mint to the top spot on Distrowatch.

May

1. Linux Mint 11 ‘Katya’, which was the only sane release in the in the mad penguin onslaught of Shells and Unities, was finally released to the public. Many people – even Ubuntu loyalists – switched to Mint soon after it was released.

2. On 29, May 2011 Linux kernel 3.0 was announced. The release brought no big features, but was still a milestone release as it coincided with Linux’s 20th anniversary.

3. Google announces Chromebooks at the Google I/O Conference.

June

1. The first Chromebooks went on sale. The response, however, was not as big as Google expected.

2. Google launched Google+ in an invite-only testing phase. The new social network, about which we wrote at great length, instantly became an Internet sensation. People from all around the world were scampering, begging, and sometimes, even spending money to try out Google’s ambitious social endeavor.

3. Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s new iCloud service at a WWDC 2011. This was also Steve’s last public appearance.

July

1. Following a phenomenal third quarter earnings, Apple has surpassed the U.S. government in terms of cash reserves. Apple accumulated a total of $75.876 billion while the U.S. government has $73.768 billion.

2. According to Nielsen, Android became the top mobile operating system in the United States. It garnered 39% of the market, followed by Apple’s iOS at 28%, and BlackBerry OS at 20%.

3. DOS (Disk Operating System) turned 30 during this month. As some of you may know, DOS was acquired by Microsoft and was the basis of earlier Windows versions.

August

1. Due to his failing health, Steve Jobs resigned as the CEO of Apple. The news was met by speculation and overall disappointment amongst Apple’s fanboys as well as its investors.

2. Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. The highly shocking move received a mixed response from the Android community. Nevertheless, it was an essential maneuver in order to stop Microsoft’s patents trolling.

September

1. Google+, which was earlier accessible on an invite-only basis, was thrown open to the general public. The move further boosted the nascent social network’s popularity making it a serious competitor to Facebook and Twitter.

October

1. After a long battle with cancer, Steve Jobs passed away. The innovator was admired, and often praised by not just Apple fanboys, but also by many techies from around the world.

2. Ubuntu 11.10, which brought many improvements to the highly criticized Unity interface, was finally released to the public. Surprisingly, the response to this release was not as bad as the flak Ubuntu 11.04 got.

3. Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the much-awaited successor to Nexus S was finally unveiled. The Galaxy Nexus event also gave users a closer look at the highly hyped Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

November

Following the tepid response that Unity received, Linux Mint 12 ‘Lisa’, which released in November, was responsible for beating Ubuntu from the top spot on DistroWatch. The release blended the best elements of GNOME 3 and Ubuntu and delivered a sane and stable distro to many frustrated Linuxians.

December

1. Chrome, Google’s blazingly light competitor to pretty much every browser around, knocked off Firefox and Internet Explorer to become the most popular browser around.

2. The highly anticipated Samsung / Google Galaxy Nexus was finally made available in the United States.

3. The fight against Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) heats up as the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to debate amendments to the controversial bill.

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To all our friends, contributors, readers and site visitors, have a peaceful and fruitful New Year!