Google Search Tallies the Top Tech Stories of 2014

by Don Reisinger

The iPhone 6 wasn’t the most popular search topic in 2014. Sadly, actor-comedian Robin Williams’ tragic death was the top search topic of 2014. But in terms of technology, Apple’s latest smartphone, which was announced in September, was tops. But to put it in perspective, the iPhone 6 didn’t even make the top 10 searches of the year. It was, however, No. 1 in searches related to consumer electronics, according to Google’s data.

Samsung is struggling to reverse a sharp drop in mobile device market share. The company has acknowledged that it has to act decisively to turn around its mobile business. Still, the Samsung Galaxy S5 flagship handset was the second most popular consumer electronics topic during the year. That’s all the more interesting when one considers a recent report saying that the Galaxy S5’s sales were down compared with the Galaxy S4 in every worldwide market except for the U.S.

Although Nintendo is still plugging along with its Wii U, the current-generation game console war is being waged between Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One. So far, Sony’s console has outsold Microsoft’s. But according to Google data, the Xbox One was the most popular console search of the year, topping both the Wii U and PlayStation 4, which didn’t even make the Consumer Electronics list.

The video posted to YouTube showcasing a user bending the iPhone 6 Plus was a hit, according to Google. The video was the fifth most watched YouTube clip of 2014, behind such popular items as the “Mutant Giant Spider Dog.” The clip’s success is all the more shocking when one considers that the iPhone 6 Plus didn’t launch until September, meaning the video garnered worldwide attention in just a few short months.

Not surprisingly, the Apple Watch, which was also unveiled this year, gained plenty of attention around the world. According to Google, the smartwatch took the eighth spot in Consumer Electronics searches, beating out the new iPad Air, which came in 10th place. The Apple Watch is launching in early 2015, so it’s likely the search momentum will crank up again around that time.

Looking deeper at U.S.-based searches, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin was a popular topic, according to Google. In a list Google calls “What is…?” the company said Bitcoin finished in fourth place behind ALS, Ebola and ISIS. Bitcoin searches were likely driven by the ongoing talk of the cryptocurrency’s theft from the Mt. Gox Exchange, as well as its increasing use in a wide array of e-commerce establishments.

It’s nice to hear that Americans are giving back when it comes to tech. According to Google, “Donate Cell Phones” was the tenth most popular search related to donations in 2014, behind searches on how folks can donate to breast cancer awareness, ALS and blood, among other topics. Donating cell phones is an important step for industry giants such as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg who believe in connecting people around the world and hopefully providing them with more freedom in the process.

There were plenty of initial public offerings in 2014. But it was China-based e-commerce company Alibaba that was the most searched for IPO, beating out GoPro and King Digital. Perhaps Alibaba’s IPO was so popular because of its mammoth size when it went public in September: The offering was the biggest to that point, generating $25 billion.

Here’s an odd one: the Google Nexus 6, a device that runs Google’s latest mobile operating system, Android 5.0Lollipop. However, it doesn’t come with any other standout features that might make it one of the top-selling Android smartphones. Nevertheless, the Nexus 6 was the third most popular “Tech Gadgets” search behind the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S5. The Nexus 6 was only released last month, which means it got some serious attention from U.S.-based searchers in a very short time.

When Facebook announced that it would acquire popular mobile-messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion, it shocked the technology industry. Many wondered why the world’s largest social network would pay so much for a mobile-messaging app that has many major competitors. Whatever the reason, the acquisition put WhatsApp into a spotlight. According to Google, the term “What is WhatsApp?” was the seventh most popular “what is” question, ahead of Hamas and how Apple’s Airdrop service works.