We’re nearing the end of the year 2011 and coming into 2012, oh, because of the movie of 2012, when referring to 2012, it always implies the end of the world. But here I’m talking about tech wonders–products that many of us expects. Here’s what I’m anticipating in the new year.

1. Apple iPad 3 HD
The rumors said that the next-generation iPad will be a sight to behold, thinner and lighter. Its most compelling (alleged) feature: a 2048-by-1536-pixel display and Retina screen, Siri integration in addition to a faster processor and 4G Compatibility, Assuming that Apple maintains its tablet-upgrade cycle, we can expect to see the new model in the spring.
2. Microsoft Windows 8
Microsoft’s next operating system promises to be everything. Designed to power both tablets and conventional PCs, Windows 8 is ambitious and risky. The new OS will feature the touch-oriented Metro interface that we first saw in Windows Phone 7. That means Microsoft’s “reimagined” flagship OS will be the first Windows version since the iconic Windows 95 to revamp, rather than simply tweak, the desktop interface.
3. Smarter and OLED TVs
Rumors of an Apple-branded TV set aren’t new, but recent developments lend credence to reports that the folks in Cupertino are cookin’ up something good. According to Steve Jobs’s biographer Walter Isaacson, Apple’s cofounder was obsessed with the smart-TV concept, and had been working diligently on a genre-defining television interface before he passed.
Sony, meanwhile, is developing next-gen TV concepts designed to emulate Apple’s successful strategy of sharing user content among multiple devices, including TVs, tablets, smartphones, and game consoles.
Besides Smarter TVs, the OLED TVs are another expection, both LG and Samsung will debut 55-inch OLED TVs at CES in January. And they will certainly be priced at a premium relative to today’s LCD and plasma sets.
4. Apple iPhone 5
When Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S in October, many fans felt a twinge of disenchantment. The iPhone 4S has some nice changes under the hood–including the voice-recognizing personal assistant Siri and an excellent 8-megapixel camera–but it looks virtually identical to its predecessor.
The rumored curved glass screen and daring teardrop shape are apparently still on the drawing board over in Cupertino. Assuming that the iPhone 5 arrives in 2012, it just might pack the visual wallop that Apple watchers have been waiting for.
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