2012: The year in technology

Galactic empire?

Has the iPhone met its match? Samsung’s Galaxy S III became the fastest-selling phone when it hit shops in May, with 20 million sold in the first 100 days. (Copyright: Getty)
Keep taking the tablets

Apple introduced three new iPads; two full-size versions with retina display, and a smaller iPad Mini. Long lines of customers greeted the launches. (Copyright: Getty Images)
Solar flight

In June, the sun-powered Solar Impulse completed its first intercontinental flight, flying a 19-hour trip from Madrid in Spain to Rabat in Morocco. (Copyright: AFP/Getty Images)
Gangnam Style over substance

Surprise hit of the year was Korean rapper Psy’s Gangnam Style, whose OTT video broke YouTube records. By December, it reached its billionth play. (Copyright: AFP/Getty Images)
Plastic parenthood

Japan’s Fasotec lets prospective parents create a 3D resin model of their unborn baby – which they can then buy to show friends and family. (Copyright: AFP/Getty Images)
Wireless warrior

The Northrop-Grumman’s X-47B is one of the latest pilotless US aircraft. This year it became the first unmanned aircraft to taxi on a carrier. (Copyright: AFP/Getty Images)
Google glasses

Google's Project Glass is developing an augmented reality head-mounted display over clear glasses. They are expected to go on sale in 2014. (Copyright: Getty images)
Virtual Tupac

The Coachella Festival saw long-dead rapper Tupac Shakur appear as a 3D hologram (right) – meaning deceased stars may still be able to tour. (Copyright: Getty Images/Coachella)
Game of drones

One of the US military’s most sophisticated drones, the RQ-170, was captured by Iran, with replicas paraded in front of crowds in the capital Tehran. (Copyright: AFP/Getty Images)
Computing titan

The world’s most powerful supercomputer, Titan, went live in October. The US-based number cruncher can perform 20 quadrillion calculations per second. (Copyright: ORNL)

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This year saw Apple face its biggest rival to the iPhone yet from Korean tech giants Samsung, while the US military introduced a new generation of drones.