Top 10 articles of 2011: Windows 8, iPhone 5 hype and tablet fever

What have V3 readers been most interested in this year?

As we come to the end of another exciting year in tech, V3 has taken a look at the most popular articles with you, our loyal readers, over the past 12 months.

The most popular was excitement about the forthcoming Windows 8, due in 2012, as Microsoft demonstrated its super-quick start up time. The OS will be able to boot up from cold in eight seconds, according to Microsoft, thanks to the kernel session being put into hibernate mode instead of being closed down. Better hope you get a shiny new PC to match the shiny new OS when it ships, as ancient hardware will slow the process down somewhat.

No surprise that Apple made several appearances in the list, as the fervour around anything out of Cupertino continued. First we had the anticipation over the iPhone 5, which morphed into the less-exciting iPhone 4S but still managed to generate massive sales. Apple also dominated with the release of the thin and light MacBook Air, a real hit in the V3 offices, and its ongoing legal battle with Samsung to get the Galaxy Tab taken off the market.

Although the iPad didn't get much of a look in from our readers, other tablets proved more enticing. There was a huge rush to get hold of an HP TouchPad, sadly for the firm this was only once it had slashed prices and end of lifed them. And while HTC's Android-based Flyer proved popular, Dell decided to go its own way with Windows 8-based devices to come.

Microsoft demonstrates eight-second boot-up in Windows 8
Kernel session now placed into hibernate mode instead of being closed down

Apple gearing up to launch MacBook Air and iPhone 5
IPad 3 screen resolution also tipped to be five times higher than predecessor

UK HP TouchPad tablet prices slashed as retailers look to shift stock
US consumers pick up tablets for under $100 but UK prices remain above £300

IE9 unlikely to shake up the enterprise
Consumers are expected to embrace the browser first

CERN experiments generating one petabyte of data every second
Organisation storing 25PB of data every year as Large Hadron Collider delves for secrets of the universe

Apple unveils iPhone 4S with improved processor, camera and battery life
New model available from 14 October, and iOS update due on 12 October

Dell World: Dell gearing up to launch Windows 8 devices as Android disappoints
PC business not going anywhere, says Michael Dell

HTC Flyer Android 2.3 tablet hits the streets
Gingerbread device starts at £479.99 SIM-free and comes with Magic pen stylus

Apple iOS 5 jailbreak released by iPhone Dev Team
Teenaged developer also finds backdoor in iTunes to load iOS 5 onto devices

Samsung redesigns Galaxy Tab to avoid Apple ban in Germany
South Korean firm hopes extended edges of tablet will appease the courts