We'll look back at 2012 as the year everything changed

Technological advances are ensuring things will never be the same again, writes V3 news editor Dan Worth

In years to come those working in and around the technology industry will look back at 2012 as the year when everything changed, when the first global boom of technology ended and the second wave began.

Across the industry everything is in flux: well-established, household brands are evolving, changing, even disappearing; new technologies are emerging and changing the world and new businesses are emerging all the time to shake-up the landscape.

Where to start? Let's take Microsoft. For more than 30 years Microsoft has produced its slightly dated, rather dull, but unquestionable functional, Windows system for its hardware partners to stick on their identikit laptops, and that was that.

This year, it's all changing. Windows 8 is a huge change in direction for Microsoft, with the firm creating a system so far removed from the layout of its traditional Windows platforms as to be unrecognisable. It's a huge bet on consumers and companies embracing this change.

In support of this, and in a radical change to the relationships the firm has had with Samsung, Dell, HP and the rest, it unveiled two tablet devices designed and built in-house. That shows a stunning lack of faith in its partners to produce Windows 8 tablets good enough to compete with Apple's iPad, the market leader by some distance.

Will these gambles pay off? In 15 years' time we will either look back and marvel at the firm's foresight and forthright decision making, or tell our incredulous children that once Microsoft dominated the world but blew it all in 2012 with Windows 8 and two terrible tablets.

Microsoft, and now Google with its Nexus 7 tablet, have been forced into this position due to the obscene success of Apple - which has cemented its position as the world's biggest technology firm by some margin during 2012.

The firm's share price has rocketed in just seven months from $411 to around $600, thanks to huge sales of its iPad and iPhones. The widely-expected iPhone 5 should further enhance its power in the mobile market.

Ah yes, the mobile phone market, there's an area worth looking at, as it evolves at a speed many have found impossible to cope with, with firms such as Nokia and Research in Motion (RIM) both caught on the hop.

Indeed, it's not that unreasonable to suggest Nokia may not exist by the end of 2012 - imagine saying that in 2005! The firm's cash reserves are dwindling and its Lumia devices have failed to shift more than a few million units.

It could easily be bought out and gobbled up by Microsoft, or perhaps even Apple, for its valuable patent portfolio.

Then there's RIM, the darling of the mobile world circa 2006/7, when its BlackBerry devices were seen as world-changing. But, in just five years, they now appear outdated and outmoded.

Again, it's not hard to imagine the incredulous voices of the future.

"Dad, you're honestly telling me that people thought a phone without a touch-screen and a Qwerty keyboard was good?"

We'll look back at 2012 as the year everything changed

Technological advances are ensuring things will never be the same again, writes V3 news editor Dan Worth

Away from specific companies and looking at wider IT trends, and both cloud computing and mobile working are rapidly moving away from being seen as novel use of technologies to business as usual.

Of course, not every office across the land is in the cloud and using tablets but the trends are there and growing rapidly, as firms understand the benefits on offer.

Ultimately, this growth will usher in the start of a new era for millions of workers.

When, let's say by 2030, it becomes the norm to work at home, we'll look back at 2012, as the period that marked the beginning of the tilt towards the office-at-home lifestyle.

One reason is because of the London Olympics. There are likely to be thousands of staff who experience a revelation during the event when, having been asked to work at home, they discover the ease and efficiency with which they can get the job done without commuting.

No doubt this will lead many to demand the right to do so more frequently, using the two-week Olympic period as evidence it can be done and forcing their bosses to relent. Over time this will only grow and lead to the halcyon home-working future of beans on toast for lunch every day.

The Olympics will also have another lasting impact - that of wireless internet access. In 2005, when London won the Olympic bid, accessing Wi-Fi wasn't much of a concern for all but the most internet-addicted workaholics lumping around laptops.

Now, everyone wants it, for ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones. This has seen the rise of public Wi-Fi grow apace, with O2, BT and Virgin Media all pushing rollouts across the UK and in London (most notably on the London Underground).

All these firms have touted the Olympics as a key milestone around which their rollouts have taken place - to meet visitors' and residents' data demands and provide a solid experience on their gadgets.

These rollouts are only going to continue, especially as consumers will come to expect Wi-Fi wherever they go. Come, say 2022, I imagine London will be almost blanketed in Wi-Fi services thanks, in part, to the legacy of London 2012.

Even 4G will have a (sort of) boost in 2012, with the long (long) awaited auctions finally take place at the end of the year. Although, sadly, it won't be until 2014 until these networks are live - well 2012 can't have all the good stuff.

Finally, a discovery was made on Wednesday that could have huge potential for the future, potential we probably can't even comprehend yet: the discovery of what is almost certainly the Higgs boson by Cern.

I've written of my love of Cern before, and I'm sure 2012 will been seen as a watershed moment in yet another area: humanity's own evolution, as we embark on a new path of scientific enlightenment and understanding.

These are the days.