Reorgs. Resignations. Ridesharing.
Drones. Divestitures. Devices.
Smartwatches. Stack Ranks. Secret Santas.
2013 had a little bit of everything, and we had a blast covering it all. Here’s our look back of the top posts on GeekWire.
Some of the top stories may surprise you, but as you’ll see it was a very active year in tech news. Thanks to everyone for tuning in! Also, make sure to check out our previous year-end recap: “The year in quotes: From Ballmer to Bezos to Bitcoin.”
1. Yes, you can: How to play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One (945 Facebook likes, 101 comments)
2. Finally: Bill Gates admits Control-Alt-Delete was a mistake (1,500 Facebook likes, 71 comments, discussion below in minute 16)
3. First porn app for Google Glass runs smack into new ban on explicit content (108 Facebook likes, 16 comments)
4. Bill Gates and Paul Allen reprise classic Microsoft photo, three decades later (1,400 Facebook likes, 31 comments)
5. Xfinity X1: How Comcast roped me back in to cable (79 Facebook likes, 55 comments)
6. An open letter to Jeff Bezos: A contract worker’s take on Amazon.com (1,000 Facebook likes, 151 comments)
7. No Google Glasses allowed, declares Seattle dive bar (1,100 Facebook likes, 62 comments)
8. Bill Gates says you should read these 5 books in 2013 (386 Facebook likes, 14 comments)
9. Contour closes Seattle HQ, shocks employees — execs mum on status of GoPro rival (1,900 Facebook likes, 79 comments)
10. Xbox One now in full production with improved CPU performance (403, Facebook likes, 199 comments)
11. Xbox 360 vs. Wii vs. PS3: Who won the console wars? (146 Facebook likes, 51 comments)
12. Valve co-founder Gabe Newell: Linux is a “get-out-of-jail free pass for our industry” (247 Facebook likes, 28 comments)
13. Microsoft says 3D printing in Windows 8.1 will support open-source technologies (195 Facebook likes, 7 comments)
14. Living with Apple’s iOS 7: 5 tips to get the most out of Mail (8 Facebook likes, 3 comments)
15. Surviving Mavericks: 5 tips for getting Apple’s new Mac OS to do what you need (27 Facebook likes, 25 comments)
16. Here’s what Microsoft is paying its new CFO Amy Hood (28 Facebook likes, 6 comments)
17. Here comes iOS 7: How to prepare yourself for Apple’s big mobile overhaul (68 Facebook likes, 8 comments)
18. Microsoft tops Apple as America’s most inspiring company; Google 7th, Amazon 8th (5,700 Facebook likes, 86 comments)
19. How many cows are in Canada and 24 other wacky interview questions from Amazon, Google and more (134 Facebook likes, 14 comments)
20. Smartwatch Diary: The good, bad and ugly of wearing a Samsung Galaxy Gear for the past week (26 Facebook likes, 17 comments)
21. Why I won’t buy another subsidized Android phone (and why you shouldn’t, either) (306 Facebook likes, 34 comments)
22. Windows Phone fans petition Square, Instagram, Google for apps (120 Facebook likes, 60 comments)
23. Nearly 40% of Xbox One reviews on Amazon are 1-star; users reporting broken disc drives (324 Facebook likes, 148 comments)
24. Living with Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX: This fruitcake is pretty sweet (73 Facebook likes, 17 comments)
25. Microsoft’s big reorg: What to watch, and what it means (68 Facebook likes, 28 comments)
26. Report: Thieves steal iPads from Microsoft, leave everything else (981 Facebook likes, 34 comments)
27. Valve’s Steam OS is available for download now, if you dare (124 Facebook likes, 23 comments)
28. This sonic-powered vibrator is faster and quieter than traditional sex toys (134 Facebook likes, 6 comments)
29. 7 great apps to enhance your iOS 7 experience (28 Facebook likes, 7 comments)
30. Images: Amazon.com wants to build a massive biosphere in Seattle (perfect for workers and mature trees) (1,200 Facebook likes, 31 comments)
31. Microsoft axes ‘stack ranking’ in massive overhaul of employee review process (1,800 Facebook likes, 41 comments)
32. Microsoft IllumiRoom turns entire room into video game (290 Facebook likes, 10 comments)
33. Bill Gates is an amazing Secret Santa, Reddit user discovers (1,100 Facebook likes, 4 comments)
34. Meet Catherine Giudici, the Amazon designer who just won The Bachelor (38 Facebook likes, 8 comments)
35. The corporate Web site is dead, long live the new corporate Web site (418 Facebook likes, 15 comments)
36. Kids, don’t believe the startup hype: Why you should join a big company first (238 Facebook likes, 48 comments)
37. Amazon’s big surprise: Flying drones will deliver packages to customer doorsteps (5,400 Facebook likes, 34 comments)
38. Amazon starts PS4 exchange procedure after hundreds receive faulty consoles (108 Facebook likes, 54 comments)
39. UW computer science professor Ben Taskar passes away at 36 (368 Facebook likes, 6 comments)
40. Shark Tank: The 3 worst startup mistakes made on TV’s best reality show (167 Facebook likes, 10 comments)
41. Test riding Sidecar and Lyft, the Coke and Pepsi of ride sharing (70 Facebook likes, 39 comments)
42. The coolest photo ever of Seattle’s skyline is going viral (1,500 Facebook likes, 4 comments)
43. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen just sold this abstract painting for $43.8 million (497 Facebook likes, 23 comments)
44. Bitcoin surges to all-time high of $900, then drops below $650 in 30 minutes (348 Facebook likes, 30 comments)
45. Kindle Fire HDX: The business person’s frenemy (12 Facebook likes, 6 comments)
46. Contour co-founder: ‘We weren’t done showing the world what we could do’ (217 Facebook likes, 40 comments)
47. Yes, I’m from frickin’ Ohio, and I cuss up a storm (5,400 Facebook likes, 19 comments)
48. No joke: Google wants a patent on splitting the restaurant bill (623 Facebook likes, 34 comments)
49. Windows exec: Surface Pro isn’t expensive — you’re just thinking about it wrong (40 Facebook likes, 48 comments)
50. Insights from Duane Campbell, a Microsoft coding legend who’s retiring after 28 years (995 Facebook likes, 13 comments)
So, there you have it folks. The top 50 posts of the year. Thanks to everyone for reading GeekWire.
What were your favorites?
2013 image via Shutterstock.
