One can apply the cliche for just about every year, but 2013 was quite something, wasn't it? While arguably less eventful than previous years, it was still full of exciting headlines , and that's before taking our industry into account! So join our retrospective into what we we think were the major happenings of, well, 2013!
1. Microsoft buys Nokia: The biggest acquisition of 2013 came as a late-night surprise Microsoft became the owner of the Devices & Services division of one of the biggest (if waning) mobile vendors, an acquisition worth a cool €5.44 billion. The deal brought about various reactions from industry luminaries, such as Tim Cook's dismissive "everybody is trying to adopt Apple’s strategy," as well as the first Nokia Windows tablet, the Lumia 2520.
2. Ballmer announces retirement: Less than a month before Nokia acquisition infamously bullish Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced his retirement, leaving the once technology leader without a clear leader. The news came 6 weeks after a "far-reaching realignment" of company management, part of an effort to create a "One Microsoft" out of the gigantic corporation. One thing is certain-- Ballmer and his exuberant on-stage appearances will be missed.
3. PCs are down, down, down: "Continued to shrink, declining faster than expected," these are the words the likes of Gartner and IDC tend to say on the PC market, be it in W. Europe, EMEA or across the globe. The blame, of course, is customers moving away from PCs (in order to buy tablets), as well as Windows 8.1 launch preparations and product transitions to Haswell and Bay Trail CPUs. Either way, it looks like PC market's downwards trend will continue apace, even if both desktops and laptops will remain relevant to a decently-sized consumer base.
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