As the bells of 2011 have just now enjoyed their last few clangs, we are caught looking back on the successes and failures of the past year, warily preparing for the challenges and opportunities of 2012. In the past twelve months, we have seen the unearthing of a spring of democracy in the Middle East, the end of major US military involvement in Iraq, and the rising popularity of a boy named Bieber. We have endured a dismal employment market, all the while skeptically acknowledging and appreciating the few positive turns in our taxing domestic economy.
Assuming the Mayans were wrong, the upcoming year holds great promise – especially in the realm of technological advancement. But with the recent passing of Steve Jobs, it is unclear what path the new wave of gadgets and gismos will follow. In a recent article out of The Sydney Morning Herald profiling the relatively new Apple CEO Tim Cook, it is revealed that the company’s year was still extraordinarily fruitful, despite the tragic passing of its guru. Mr. Cook alone raked in almost $400 million, which is one of the biggest pay packages to date.
But I wonder if Apple can sustain its position as the hegemon of the technological industry. Jobs was a one-in-a-million type of guy, who guided his company from near-bankruptcy to the pedestal of success that it rests on today. As the old saying goes, ‘time will [most definitely] tell,’ as we apprehensively clamor to our seats: what is in store for Apple in 2012?