Tech trends and storylines to watch in 2012

We’ve rounded up the devices, events and ideas that journalists, analysts and industry insiders say will be big the tech world in 2012.

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Mobile payment systems will go mainstream.

Many consumers long ago ditched cash in favor of the ease and convenience of paying with plastic. Now, thanks to apps which allow users to make payments with the tap of a smartphone, shelling out money is poised to get even easier. Google Wallet, which launched in September 2011, is currently only available on a few models of phones and many small retailers are not equipped to use it. But some analysts say that 2012 is the year that mobile payments will proliferate as more devices are outfitted with the crucial Near Field Communication (NFC) chip that makes these transactions possible. Forrester Research said in a June report that it expects mobile commerce to be a $31 billion business by 2016. Given that potential for growth, it’s likely other tech firms will attempt to challenge Google with their own mobile payment apps. In fact, telecom giants Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have announced a joint venture digital wallet program called Isis, which is slated to debut in 2012.

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

The FacebookIPO will happen, and it will be major.

The world’s most popular social network appears headed for a major status update. Many analysts suggest that the company will finally go from private to public in 2012 in what would likely be the largest initial public offering ever for a technology company. Just how big would the IPO be? In January 2011, Goldman Sachs valued the company at $50 billion when it offered private client a chance to invest in Facebook. Later, in November, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News reported that company was seeking to raise $10 billion for an IPO worth $100 billion. And if the filing indeed takes place, you can expect its first day of trading to be a big event on Wall Street. The IPO may not be Facebook’s only milestone next year: At least one forecaster suggests the firm could register its 1 billionth user.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Tablets will continue thier hot streak.

Many experts and insiders seemed to agree on this point. But they differed in their assessments of whether Apple would continue to be king of the heap. According to a December report from research firm IDC, Apple has captured 62 percent of the worldwide tablet market, while Android has just 32 percent. A recent spate of Apple rumors suggest that iPad 3 could be arriving as early as February and may be accompanied by a smaller “iPad mini.” Will that be enough to ward off competition from Android-powered tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab or the relatively low-priced Kindle Fire? Tech geeks and investors everywhere will be closely watching.

SeongJoon Cho / Bloomberg

'Ultrabooks' will gain traction as viable tablet alternatives.

The so-called ultrabook may be the perfect alternative for someone who likes the sleek, lightweight quality of a tablet but wants a full keyboard. Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Lenovo all offered ultrabooks in 2011. In forecasting a boom in this niche in 2012, Mashable’s Lance Ulanoff wrote, “They’re perfectly designed for getting real work done, but no one will be embarrassed to carry one around.” The Asus Zenbook ultrabook is pictured here.

Chris Tzou / Bloomberg

Siri’s popularity will spawn imitators.

One of the buzziest features of Apple’s iPhone 4S was its voice-activated “personal assistant” named Siri that was equal parts whimsical novelty and practical functionality. While other voice-activated technology existed before Apple’s, Siri introduced a level of sophistication and accuracy that makes for a more seamless user experience. (And she’s got a bit of a sense of humor, too.) It has been reported that Google’s answer to Siri, a project codenamed Majel, could be unveiled in 2012.

Oli Scarff / Getty Images

Big tech firms will keep jockeying to be all things to all people.

It was not that long ago that the tech industry was a fairly compartmentalized one. Motorola, Nokia, RIM and Apple duked it out for cellphone supremacy; Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile vied for telecom customers; Google battled with Yahoo and Bing in the Web search market. But those once fairly clear-cut lines were significantly blurred in 2011 as tech companies began trying to expand their silos in order to pull in more dollars and snuff out competitors. Google acquired Motorola Mobility and made an aggressive push into the social networking realm with Google+. Retailer Amazon launched a tablet computer. Microsoft aimed to rival iOs and Android the mobile phone arena with its Windows Phone operating system. Rumors abound that 2012 may be the year Verizon scoops up Netflix, Facebook launches a smartphone or that Apple launches a full-fledged television, all of which suggest that this trend of convergence seems on track to continue and perhaps even heighten.

/ Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook photos by AP; Apple photo by Reuters; Google photo by Bloomberg

‘Hacktivism’ and other cybersecurity threats will get more sophisticated.

Both McAfee and Cisco say in their annual forecasts that they expect “hacktivism” to be a prominent cybersecurity issue in 2012. Groups like Anonymous, they say, will continue to use hacking as a means of sending a message or targeting polarizing public figures. McAfee also warns that malware for mobile devices, GPS systems and even medical equipment will get more effective in 2012. Here, a demonstrator joins members of the Internet group Anonymous in a protest.

David Paul Morris / Bloomberg

Patent wars will slog on.

Tech companies waged fierce battles over patents in 2011. Oracle sued Google, alleging that its Java patents were infringed on by Google’s Android operating system. Apple accused Motorola, HTC and Samsung of copying the iPhone, and Eastman Kodak waged a patent dispute with RIM and Apple over a mechanism for previewing digital images. Expect these still-in-progress cases to grind on in 2012. Pictured here is HTC's 4G Evo phone, one of the devices Apple has said infringes on its patents.

JB Reed / Bloomberg

Featured Photo Galleries

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 29: Serena Williams of USA stretches to plays a forehand in her women's singles first round match between Serena Williams of USA and Virginie Razzano of France during day three of the French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

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Winnie Pajcic, 9, holds on to a railing as she leans back in the wind during a visit to Stockton Park in Ortega, Fla., in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Beryl on Monday May 28, 2012. Beryl came ashore early Monday near Jacksonville Beach with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Kelly Jordan)

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Camels rest at a watering hole outside the town of Aleg May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Joe Penney (MAURITANIA - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY)

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more in animal views

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ANNAPOLIS, MD- MAY 29: Graduates cheer as the Blue Angels fly over during the 100th anniversary of the United States Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremonies in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. U.S Sec. of Defense Leon Edward Panetta gave the graduation address. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

U.S. Naval Academy graduation

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the commencement address at the ceremony.

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 26: Singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (C) performs with dancers during the Q'Viva! The Chosen Live show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 26, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Lil Jon, Eddie Van Halen, Mariah Carey and other celebrities.

Doc Watson, bluegrass and folk legend, dies at 89

The blind singer and guitarist was a Grammy winner, known for his flat-picking style of guitar playing.

Henry, a calf, sustained a head wound and required stitches after being slashed over the weekend.

Farm animals attacked in Fairfax

A calf, two goats and a chicken were slashed over the weekend at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon.

COVINGTON, LA - MAY 14: Brother Emmanuel Labrise of St. Joseph's Abbey prepares a casket for lining on May 15, 2012 in Covington, Louisiana. Louisiana law forbids those who are not licensed funeral directors from selling caskets. And since Hurricane Katrina leveled the timberlands that once provided the main source of funding for the abbey, the monks have attempted to make a living by building and selling simple cypress caskets. The monks won their first round last year, and have a hearing at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in June. (Photo by Sean Gardner/For the Washington Post)

Louisiana monks fight for the right to sell coffins

Federal court case pits a group of monks against the funeral home industry.

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