Predict the next century and you can fantasize; predict the coming decade and you can wax enthusiastic. But if you're looking at just the next 12 months, you'd better keep your feet on the ground. That's what we've done in this year's tech survey: In choosing our subjects, we considered mainly the likelihood of their figuring prominently in the coming year's tech headlines, not whether we thought—or hoped—the technologies themselves would succeed.
A case in point is extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography: It has been promoted for more than 15 years as the best way to sustain Moore's Law, and this is the year it's expected to reach the make-or-break point. We can't tell you whether it will win or lose, but in either case, the result will be big news in Silicon Valley—and beyond.
Good-bye, Wheelchair, Hello Exoskeleton
This year, the Ekso Bionics exoskeleton for paraplegics hits the market
3-D Chips Grow Up
In 2012, 3-D chips will help extend Moore's Law—and move beyond it
Plug-in Vehicles Proliferate
Full battery-electric and hybrid-electric plug-in vehicles will start hitting the streets in significant numbers later this year
Windows 8: A Redo From Redmond?
The 2012 release of Windows 8 will show whether Microsoft can surf the tablet tidal waves
LED Bulbs for Less
In 2012, there will finally be a first-rate LED bulb you can afford
Birth of the Bionic Eye
In 2012, electrodes will bring eyesight to the blind
Single Blue Planet Seeks Same
In 2012, a new exoplanet hunter will look for worlds like our own
A Battery as Big as the Grid
2012 could mark the arrival of utility-scale battery storage
EUV Faces Its Most Critical Test
2012 will be the make-or-break year for extreme ultraviolet lithography
Fantastic 4G
Hundreds of telecoms will invest in 4G LTE networks in 2012
Private Spaceflight: Up, Up, and Away
This year, commercial spaceflight will really take off
Charge of the EV Brigade
2012 will test the feasibility of EV charging stations
China’s Homegrown Super-computers
In 2012, China’s chips will power the Dawning 6000
3-D Printing Takes Shape
In 2012, 3-D printing technology will go from prototyping to production
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