STEVE JOBS

2012 looks to be a big year for gadgets, as Apple, Google, Microsoft and others are all expected to debut dozens of new devices that push the limits of technology. Here are the release dates for several tablet computers and smartphones coming next year.

Google appears poised to go after the Apple iPad. Schmidt described the iPad as amazing, according to The Telegraph, and said the late Steve Jobs should be credited with creating the tablet craze. Many tablets already use Google's Android operating system, but Google doesn't sell its own hardware as a signature product.

Apple has acquired Anobit, an Israeli flash storage maker, for a price ranging between $400-$500 million, Hebrew news site Calcalist reported on Tuesday.

Apple is offering free next-day shipping on the majority of its popular gadgets, including the iPhone and iPad, leading up to Christmas.

No doubt 2011 was a major year for technology in part because it touched everyone differently. Following are some of the highlights and lowlights of the year:

2011 was all about Friday, baby twins and doing The Creep.

Fred Shapiro, a Yale Law School librarian and well-known authority on quotations, just released his sixth-annual list of the most memorable quotations of the year. The top three quotes all deal with statements made by people protesting the income disparity in the U.S. The Occupy Wall Street protesters’ slogan --“We are the 99 percent” – was the list's top quote.

Anobit told employees today that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) had made an offer for the firm and it had accepted. Employees were told that once the deal is formally completed they will be employees of Apple, according to Israel's Calcalist. The deal is reportedly for nearly $500 million, which makes it Apple's largest acquisition. It is also the first acquisition in Israel for the Cupertino, Calif.-based company.

Apple executives have been speaking with large media companies about its strategy for Apple TV, indicating that it is all set to push forward into the television market.

Apple's coming television project has fueled much speculations over its features.

Apple Inc scored a narrow victory against Taiwan's HTC Corp in a patent lawsuit over smartphone technology that will set the stage for further battles between rival makers in the fiercely competitive market.

Despite losing co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, who died on Oct. 5, Apple hasn't slackened its pace of growth and, if rumors are to be believed, the Cupertino-based technology giant is all set to release iPad 3 as well as a 7.85-inch iPad Mini in 2012.

Singer, songwriter, designer and gay rights activist Lady Gaga is a powerful figure in the global entertainment industry. The 25-year-old super star was recognized Monday when she was named the 2011 AP Entertainer of the Year.

According to tech insider DigiTimes and analyst Richard Shim, Apple will not only launch an iPad 3 to compete with Amazon's tablet computer in 2012 but a 7-inch mini iPad as well. As Kindle Fire sales threaten Apple's iPad 2, analysts are already debating the mini iPad's pricing and specs, and after Steve Jobs' death, a 7-inch tablet is looking more and more likely.

Siri is a fun and useful tool on the iPhone 4S, but Apple has plans for it to become a centerpiece in all its devices, including the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

Apple Inc supplier Pegatron said a small explosion at its subsidiary in Shanghai, China had injured some workers but would not have a big impact on production.

Apple Inc supplier Pegatron said a small explosion at its subsidiary in Shanghai, China had injured some workers but would not have a big impact on production.

Even as rumors about Apple's next generation tablet - dubbed iPad 3 - continue to grow, a report on another gadget called iPad Mini - an iPad with a 7.85-inh display that could compete with Kindle Fire - has surfaced.

Choosing a decent profile picture on Facebook was hard enough before the launch of the Timeline. Now the Social Media giant opens its users up to a new kind of challenge: Picking cover art.

The search is over for the most-Googled names in 2011: The most popular and fastest-rising terms include Rebecca Black, Ryan Dunn and Casey Anthony.

2012 promises to be another year of promising, if not exciting developments for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and CEO Tim Cook, the man who replaced Jobs. Apple has the world's bestselling tablet, the iPad, and the bestselling smartphone, the iPhone, and the company wants to keep it that way.