Google's Top Trends Of 2012

Google has published its annual Zeitgeist list for 2012, featuring the top search terms for 2012 as well as trending topics. "Trending" means search queries that had the most traffic over a sustained period in 2012 compared to the year before. "Most popular" is simply a measure of search query volume in 2012.

The top trending searches overall in the U.S. reflected current events and popular culture. The top five were: Whitney Houston, boosted when the star died unexpectedly; Hurricane Sandy, which inflicted significant damage along the Mid-Atlantic coast; the 2012 Elections, because the presidency was at stake; Hunger Games, the hit film version of the book series; and Jeremy Lin, a rising basketball star.

For those searching geek related materials the top tech trends were geared towards tablets and smartphones. The top five were: iPad 3, iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy S3, Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. And number six was Microsoft Surface.

Among U.S. searches for phones, Apple and Samsung dominated. The top five trending searches were: iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 2. But Microsoft, Nokia and RIM haven't been forgotten, despite being overshadowed by Apple, Google, and Samsung. Their products found places in the top 10: Blackberry Bold and Blackberry Curve ranked sixth and seventh while the Nokia Lumia 900 and Windows 8 Phone ranked eighth and ninth.

For more results checkout the entire Google Zeitgeist list for 2012.