2012, you’ve kept us busy. Facebook went public, Apple had new leadership for the first time in decades, and apps and social services like Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Snapchat continued seeing huge growth. It's not just new devices in our homes or the hot new app out of Silicon Valley either — tech is remaking the media, political, and cultural landscape. President Obama dropped by Reddit earlier this year, the Pope joined Twitter, and we now live in a world where everything is memed to death the moment it happens. It's been a wild ride, and we've put together our take on the biggest stories of the year, the products that mattered, and the companies that just can't seem to get it together.

Where else did the year take us and what does 2013 hold in store? Read on.