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The top technology highlights of 2014: in pictures

From exciting new products to shocking hacking attacks, 2014 had it all. Matthew Sparkes looks at some of the news highlights of the year.

L-R Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Edition
It had been quite some time since the last major launch by Apple. We’ve had updated iPhones and iPads, but these are minor compared to entirely new devices. Which was probably why the buzz around the rumoured “iWatch” was so big. It was beaten by a host of other companies who had long ago launched smartwatches, but Apple has a history of entering markets late and then totally redefining and dominating them. The Watch will come in three models and two different sizes, and will integrate with the iPhone to offer a range of apps and features. It will even be able to pay for goods and services with a tap via Apple’s Pay system. Sadly, for those who were impressed by the unveiling and hoped to get one for Christmas, it won’t go on sale until February 2015.
Passenger jet aircraft landing at Heathrow, London
It was just before last Christmas that Amazon announced it was looking into the logistics of delivering parcels by drone. Part publicity stunt, part R&D, the announcement led into what would be an exciting year for drone technology: prices kept falling, machinery got more capable, and they were never far from the headlines. This all came to head with a potentially lethal incident in July, which only came to light in recent weeks. Someone - they were never identified - flew a drone (actually thought to be a remote-controlled helicopter) within 20 feet of an incoming airliner at Heathrow Airport, announced the UK Airprox (aircraft proximity) Board (UKAB). Plenty of people will be getting drones for Christmas this year, but can we expect tighter regulation in the New Year? Picture: Alamy Credit: Alamy
two pedestrians pass eBay headquarters in San Jose, Calif. EBay
The auction site asked all 145m of its active users to change their passwords in May as it emerged that hackers had managed to access the names, email and postal addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth of customers. It was feared that those details could be used to leverage access to users' other online accounts. Some sites such as online banking services accept a date of birth and address as part of their secure log-in process, while telephone banking services will often request the same details to validate who they are talking to. Having a list of these personal details would make life easier for a malicious attacker. The worst part was that the attack had taken place between late February and early March, and was not revealed for several months. Picture: AP Credit: AP
Stack of bitcoins isolated on white
It’s been a mixed year for Bitcoin. On one hand it’s seen a massive fall in value from around $1,000 at the start of the year to $330, and the MtGox controversy which saw £251m worth of coins evaporate into thin air. But on the other it has seen adoption continue at a steady pace, including Dell and Microsoft, ensuring a more stable future. It will be interesting to see how Bitcoin does in 2015. Picture: Alamy Credit: Alamy
Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle
This year almost 500 private photographs belonging to various celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton and Kirsten Dunst were leaked on 4chan. All of them had been taken on mobile phones and many were sexually explicit. It transpired that the images had been stolen from Apple's iCloud service, with the company blaming a "very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions". The images were then shared and re-shared around the internet, proving once again that once something is public online it can never be put back in the bottle. Picture: LMK Credit: LMK
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden
The revelations emerging from the tranche of files leaked by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden keep coming. They started in 2013, but 2014 had more than its fair share of shocks – so much so that it’s now hard to keep track of the various programs that world governments seemingly have in place to spy on our every communication. In January came news of ‘Dishfire’, an NSA scheme to collect hundreds of millions of text messages every day. Then in June Vodafone revealed that government agencies are able to listen to phone conversations live and even track the location of citizens without warrants using secret cables connected directly to network equipment. What will emerge in 2015? Picture: Reuters Credit: Reuters
Microsoft Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella
In February Satya Nadella was appointed as the third chief executive of Microsoft, succeeding Steve Ballmer. Except for his controversial statements on female pay his reign so far has been impressive. After many years which appeared from the outside to be stagnation and directionless launches, some parts of the company such as Azure and search now seem to be invigorated. Quite what 2015 holds for the technology giant is unclear, but things seem more optimistic than 12 months ago. Picture: Microsoft Credit: Microsoft
The photo-sharing app Instagram fan page is seen on the Facebook website on the Apple Safari web browser on April 9, 2012 in New York City
Twitter has been seemingly unstoppable in recent years, but this year it received some humbling news: Instagram had grown to 300m users, surpassing the 271m of Twitter. Twitter co-founder Evan Williams responded to the news by saying that he “doesn't give a s**t". Debra Aho Williamson, principal analyst with eMarketer, said: "With 300 million monthly users, Instagram's audience is becoming very attractive to marketers, especially brand advertisers, and its rapid growth will only make it more appealing.” The next year could be a lucrative one for Instagram, and a challenging one for Twitter. Picture: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images