Once again, this year has seen lightning-fast developments in the mobile space, as the world’s biggest tech players have looked to push boundaries, up smartphone sales and out-do each other on the shopfloor and in the courtroom.
So, what to expect in 2012? Will it be another 12 months of bleeding-edge tech and legal tussles? Here’s our predictions for the five biggest developments in mobile in 2012.
1 Quad-core phones galore
Just as 2011 was the year of dual-core, 2012 will be the year quad-core phones are everywhere. The HTC Edge is set to be the first, with LG, Motorola and Samsung all set to follow suit.
Expect the iPhone 5/6 to also land with quad-core smarts inside. It’ll mean phones will be lightning fast, apps even snappier and should prove a nice bit of tech one-upmanship for hardcore tech fans
2 iPhone goes XL
The chatter’s rife and word is four-inch panels for a next-gen iPhone have already been shipped.
It was widely assumed that a large screen iPhone would be released in 2011, but there are more concrete pointers to the iPhone 5’s more expansive panel definitely making an appearance in 2012.
With a Retina Display, it should give rival Android and Windows Phone efforts something to think about.
3 Windows Phones take a budget turn
Windows Phone Tango is already being trailed extensively ahead of its anticipated unveiling at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.
What makes it particularly exciting is its apparent budget approach, with baseline specs being lowered so that Nokia can release affordable smartphones using the Big M’s beautiful but slow-selling operating system.
4 Android keeps its top spot, but fragmentation still rules
Android is in an almost unassailable position at the top of the smartphone charts, with more then 50 per cent of global share.
But it’s becoming increasingly evident that the new Ice Cream Sandwich version will not fix fragmentation concerns.
Samsung’s Galaxy S2 isn’t getting the update until spring and some of HTC’s year -old range may not get it at all.
Expect Android to dominate, but still cause consternation among tech watchers frustrated by its fragmented state.
5 Samsung and Apple won’t resolve their differences
Talk of patent swaps and even Sammy components being used for Apple kit will not bring an end to tech’s biggest legal dispute.
Expect more bans of Samsung products in different territories and Apple to up the ante as it looks to ensure it retains top spot in the tablet charts.
There’ll be plenty of technological developments from these two in 2012, but fixing their broken relationship won’t be one.
