2012 was a bad year to have other people say you want your bosses job

A lot has changed in 2012.  More than you probably realize. Here is a list of thirteen things that you might have used or done in 2011 that you probably didn’t have to use or do in 2012.

 

Small screened smartphones

Apple was the last hold out on this one. It made the iPhone screen 4-inches instead of 3.5-inches. We don’t think there’s a single new small screened smartphone on the market now. And we don’t think that smartphone screens will ever be smaller than 4-inches.

Apple’s 30-pin cable was killed by Apple’s lightning cable, to the annoyance of many.

Guessing!

There’s no longer any need to guess. More than 50% of people in the U.S. now have smartphones. Therefore, if you ever get in a disagreement about something historical or factual with a friend you can just look it up on your phone. Odds are one of you are going to have one. As for emotional/opinionated disagreements, you’re smartphone can’t help you out with those — yet.

Apple’s Maps, and other Apps

If there’s one theme in tech right now it’s that Google has finally gotten its act together and made a bunch of great apps for the iPhone. Its Maps app crushes Apple’s attempt at maps. Its email app and Chrome browser are getting a lot of praise, too. Other third-party apps have successfully displaced Apple’s home grown apps, making its apps obsolete.

Netbooks are really, finally, dead

Being the “CEO-in-waiting” at your company.

Both Scott Forstall at Apple and Steven Sinofsky at Microsoft were forced out. They were both widely believed to be the CEOs in waiting for each company. They each helmed the most important product at their respective companies. They were both said to be difficult to work with. Whatever the case may be, here’s the main take away: Don’t let anyone in the press ever start to portray you as next in line to the throne, especially when the King is still comfortable.

Hard drives are done for the average person

When your mom’s friend is asking you how to get her photos in the “cloud,” you know the hard drive has seen its best days pass it by. Box, Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, and Microsoft’s SkyDrive have all made external hard drives obsolete.

Buying individual songs or albums

Why would you pay $10 for one album when you could pay $10 for a month of Spotify? Why would you pay for a song when you can just play it for free through YouTube or listen to it for free on your desktop with Spotify?

Standalone GPS machines

Now that the iPhone has turn-by-turn directions included for free — through Apple and Google maps — there is really zero reason to buy a standalone GPS system.

Windows phones became obsolete because Microsoft released Windows Phone 8, which doesn’t work on old Windows phones.

Alarm clocks. Seriously, who buys an alarm clock now?

The disc drive

Apple put out a desktop computer that doesn’t have an optical drive, and guess what, there wasn’t a huge outcry of complaints. Know why? Because people don’t use discs anymore.

The non-smartphone camera

What do you need a camera for? Instagram will make your smartphone photos looks great. Besides, smartphone cameras are outrageously good now.

Songs that aren’t “Call Me Maybe” or “Gangnam Style”

Kidding! (Sort of… do people listen to other songs anymore?)

Via Business Insider