This time last year, few would have predicted that WhatsApp would be sold to Facebook for €15.6bn, that Snapchat would be worth almost €10bn, or that Instagram would become more popular than Twitter.
It's hard to know where technology will go in 2015 - but here are a few things that we are keeping our eyes on...
New realities
Google Glass looks like it might be dead. Before the product could make a splash with consumers, it needed the developer community to buy into the concept - and it seems that they are giving up on it.
It is reported that only 100 apps have been developed for the hi-tech glasses. Twitter was making a Google Glass app - but it has abandoned the project.
The glasses are now going for less than half of their listed price on eBay. Babak Parviz, who created the product has left Google to take up a role with Amazon.
A Wired article on the future of the product suggests that the above model applies to radical advances in technology, and that we are currently deep in the 'Trough of Disillusionment' with Google Glass.
While it might fail, it is still possible that developers will find practical applications for the technology, or that Google or someone else will learn from the experiment, and make new version that will become an 'iPhone-style' breakthrough piece of hardware.
Oculus Rift was bought by Facebook in 2014 - it will be interesting to see how that product develops.
A mysterious start up called Magic Leap has tech circles buzzing heading into the new year. It is hard to tell what exactly they are developing - but it has already secured more than $540m in funding - and Google is one of its investors.
The president, CEO and founder of Magic Leap, Rony Abovitz says that, "Magic Leap is going beyond the current perception of mobile computing, augmented reality, and virtual reality."
The company's website adds: "Magic Leap will use the funds to advance the product development and commercialization of its proprietary human computing interface technology, known as Cinematic Reality™."
File it under one to watch...
The next big thing..
We aren't sure what the next big thing is going to be - but there is a good chance that it will show up on Product Hunt. It is a curated site where some of the best minds in technology share their tips for the top.
While it is just over a year old, it is now been watched by investors, reporters, and other interested parties all over the world. It has raised $6 million in funding.
Snap-what?
Snapchat has been somewhat of an enigma since it came to prominence in 2013. Ending 2014 it is has a market value that is five times that of The New York Times.
Piece-by-piece we are learning more about the company. Aside from the introduction of advertising, Snapchat has also partnered with Square to bring in a peer-to-peer mobile payment system.
It is believed that advertising will become more prominent on the app in the new year.
Given the meteoric rise of Snapchat it will be interesting to see if it will continue on this path in 2015 - or if fickle young users will find somewhere else to play.
Apple
Aside from any of its subplots - 2014 was the year that Apple reasserted its dominance at the high end of the tech market. After a wobble when the iPhone 5 missed out on the 'big phone' trend - the iPhone 6 has the company back on track.
All eyes will be on the Apple Watch in the new year. Since its launch Apple has been putting a lot of energy into promoting the wearable as a fashion accessory. Behind the scene's developers are busy working on apps for the hardware - expect some killer applications to emerge in 2015 as we discover the full capabilities of the new product.
Electronic money
The new year will see a showdown between electronic payment systems. Limerick brothers John and Patrick Collison's company Stripe is now worth more than $3.5bn. The company is powering the 'buy' buttons on Facebook and Twitter, it has also been integrated into Apple Pay - expect the company to have a massive 2015.
Elsewhere, Bitcoin has sunk far from the high it experienced late in 2013.
Bitcoin/Dollar rate over the last 24 months, via XE.com
Expect it to have a similar 2015 - not skyrocketing in vlaue, but not going away.
A Bitcoin startup called Coinbase is one to watch out for - it is a digital wallet for Bitcoin transactions. Investors have been slow to back businesses built off of the currency - but it has raised a lot of money. Coinbase is rumoured to be in the middle of a new round of funding that will value it at $400 million.
Pushing the share economy...
Airbnb has been the poster-boy of the 'shared economy' - it looks like trends based around apps that let you share with other users will continue in 2015.
Even Airbnb has spawned its own meta spin-off app. Its called 'Can I Stay With You While I Rent My Place On Airbnb?' - and it's apparently not a joke.
Its like a couchsurfing network for people who regularly rent out their apartments on Airbnb. If you want to rent your place for extra cash, the idea is that you can meet other regular Airbnbers who will let you crash with them in exchange for a bottle of wine or a six-pack.
The German app WunderCar has been trying to get users to give casual lifts to each other, and apps like Ratatouille and LeftoverSwap are hoping to eat into the take-out market by helping people to sell their excess food to their neighbours for some extra cash.
