2012 In Review, 2013 At a Glance

First and foremost, Happy New Year! May it be a year full of learning new things, developing skills, and most importantly building - building apps, new careers, or better yet, new careers building apps!

Over the holidays, I took the opportunity to go through the Canadian Developer Connection and see what 2012 was all about:

• Apps, Apps, Apps - Not surprisingly, we talked a lot about apps! More specifically, we talked about developing apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone, using Windows Azure a backend. Even better, we talked about free Windows Store developer accounts for MSDN members, how to get expert advice at the Windows Store App Labs, and best of all, about the Developer Movement and getting sweet rewards for apps that you build.
• Innovation and Value - Innovation and value was also a theme that surfaced a few times as we looked at the development platform as a whole, how it can help you deliver differentiated experiences in your apps, and the value it brings to us as developers.
• Standards – We took a look at how aligning with web standards enables new experiences
• Careers – We explored industry views of the developer opportunity, change as a developer opportunity, and how your personal brand is fundamental to showcasing yourself and getting ahead.
• Videos, Videos, Videos - Top it all off, there were quite a few events that were streamed online and, of course, recorded for your viewing and learning pleasure. These included 12 episodes of D³: LIVE & INTERACTIVE, Pure Imagination, Rise to the Modern App Challenge, Windows Azure Virtual Workshops, .NET Rocks! Visual Studio 2012 Roadtrip, and more. Watch these and future events using the Canadian Developer Connection app, available in the Windows Store as well as the Windows Phone Store.

2012: A Year of Microsoft Milestones

There were also quite a few momentous occasions for Microsoft as a company with product launches like Windows 8, Windows Phone, Windows Server 2012, Office 2013, SQL 2012, Halo 4, and of course, I can’t forget – Surface. Check out this video that captures it all.

Looking Ahead

Enough of looking back at 2012. Let’s look at what to expect this year - much more of the above, but bigger and better! Stay tuned via the Canadian Developer Connection Blog, Windows Store and Windows Phone apps, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.

With that, here’s to a great 2013!

Photo Credit: ba1969