The Year in Tech: 2014 Top Stories
As the year comes to a close it's time to take a look back at some of the events that shaped the tech landscape in twenty-fourteen. There were some high profile buyouts this year as Internet giants rush to dominate emerging markets and consolidate established ones – to name a few: WhatsApp, Oculus Rift, Nest Labs, and Mojang all cashed out big time for their creations. Smartwatches and other wearables were perhaps buzzwords of the year, but we've yet to see a clear winner to emerge here.
We also saw a fair share of disruptions, controversies and security disasters with the likes of Apple, Google, Uber, Sony and the NSA – among others – as protagonists. Elsewhere, Microsoft got a new CEO, Bitcoin's value dropped sharply but kept gaining traction as an accepted currency, and more importantly, the battle over net neutrality is heating up in anticipation to the FCC's new rules in 2015.
Read on as we do a brief recount of the most relevant stories of 2014, divided into eleven major categories. We hope you enjoyed our daily dispatch of technology news and analysis as much as we've enjoyed bringing it to you. Keep coming back for more in 2015!
Tech Culture Hardware Software The Web CPU/Graphics Gaming Mobile Apple Google Microsoft IT Security
Tech Culture
January
What if Google was a regular guy feeding you information in person?
Bill Gates predicts there will be very few poor countries by 2035
Watch Bill Gates play an exhibition chess match against the best player in the world
Lenovo acquires Motorola from Google for $2.91 billion
Classic Windows and Mac operating systems running in the browser
Overstock becomes first major online retailer to accept Bitcoins
Obama to announce plans for NSA reforms this Friday
Google acquires Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in cash
Toshiba completes OCZ acquisition, keeps the brand alive as OCZ Storage Solutions
February
Facebook buys WhatsApp for $16 billion, suddenly Instagram's $1b acquisition looks like a bargain
Check out the camera gear that Getty Images is using to cover the Olympics
Netflix signs deal with Comcast to keep streams lag-free
Sony sells off Vaio computer division, restructures TV business
Warner Bros. acquires rights to Minecraft movie
Japan's Rakuten acquires Viber messaging app for $900 million
Newegg announces its own Amazon Prime-like subscription service, Newegg Premier
House passes bill to legalize cell phone unlocking
March
Mozilla employees ask new CEO Brendan Eich to step down
Facebook announces $2 billion acquisition of virtual reality headset maker Oculus VR
Dorian S. Nakamoto denies he's Bitcoin founder, says he was misunderstood
'Minecraft' creator severs ties with Oculus VR following Facebook acquisition
Jerry Seinfeld's apartment recreated in 3D for the Oculus Rift
The World Wide Web Turns 25
April
Grams is the first search engine for the dark net's underground market
Glow-in-the-dark roads are now a reality in the Netherlands
Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich steps down following same-sex marriage uproar
Atari's E.T. games unearthed from New Mexico landfill after more than 30 years
May
Solar Roadways want to replace ordinary asphalt with intelligent, energy-generating panels
X-Men enthusiast builds homemade Magneto shoes
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer agrees to buy Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion
June
The world's largest video game collection brings in $750,250 at auction
Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde arrested after two years on the run
SanDisk acquires Fusion-io for $1.1 billion to boost enterprise efforts
Aaron Swartz documentary now available for pre-order
Amazon Prime Air sidelined by the FAA
July
Did blowing into Nintendo cartridges actually help?
Customer service call from hell: Listen to what happens when a man tries to cancel his Comcast
Judges ban Uber and Lyft from conducting business in Pittsburgh
After being shut down by Supreme Court, Aereo now wants to be treated like a cable company
August
ALS Association moves to trademark 'ice bucket challenge' – withdrawn
Ecuador to become first country to launch government-backed virtual currency
Driverless cars to boost demand for 3D printed organs
Samsung buys IoT startup SmartThings for $200 million
September
The original Blue Screen of Death was written by Steve Ballmer
Microsoft loyalist Steve Ballmer wants the Clippers to ditch their iPads
Local Motors unveils Strati, the world's first 3D-printed car
Chinese city introduces separate walking lane for mobile phone users
Bill Gates added $9 billion to his fortune this past year, tops Forbes list of 400 richest Americans
October
Hendo Hoverboard is the closest thing to Marty McFly's levitating toy
HP to split into two separate companies: one for PCs and printers, another for enterprise
Judge strikes down Aereo's cable license request, slaps nationwide preliminary injunction
AMD CEO Rory Read steps down effective immediately
Ireland to eliminate "Double Irish" loophole favored by many tech companies
Dorian Nakamoto launches legal fund to sue Newsweek, will accept Bitcoin
November
Intel class-action settlement to pay those who purchased a Pentium 4 PC nearly 15 years ago
Aereo announces major layoffs, shutting down Boston office
The Netherlands becomes first country to install solar-collecting pathway
Aereo waves the white flag, files for bankruptcy
Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde set free after serving five months behind bars
Final at-large Pirate Bay founder apprehended in Thailand
Swedish appeals court upholds Julian Assange's arrest warrant
Sony Pictures reportedly bails on Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs biopic
December
Here is what happens when a father makes his son play through video game history
Iowa poised to become the first state to let residents use smartphones as driver's licenses
Kim Dotcom vows to bring the Internet Party to the US next year