The 13 Most Anticipated Gadgets of 2013

Release Date: Mid 2013

After Apple unveiled its 7-inch iPad to the world this past October, everyone scolded the Cupertino company for its decision to exclude the Retina Display. So it comes as no surprise that talks of a next-gen model bearing the industry-leading panel have come to fruition. According to BGR, Apple is close to putting the iPad Mini Retina into production and has even pushed up its launch date. All other details remain unknown.

Release Date: Late 2013

Google’s "wearable computing system” continues to rack up numerous Best Invention of 2012 awards and has Star Trek fanatics uber-hyped over its augmented reality capabilities. The most promising include video chatting, accessible maps, Internet viewing, as well as photo capture and sharing. At the moment, a developer edition of the Google Glass carries a $1,500 price tag and 2013 release window. There's no sign of when we'll see an actual standard edition. There's always 2014, right?

Release Date: Holiday 2013

Even though Microsoft has yet to confirm any details regarding the codenamed “720,” a holiday launch of its next-gen system seems imminent. Upgrades to its Kinect technology, Xbox Live interface, and graphics hardware (AMD Radeon HD 8000M GPU) sound official. And as console mock-ups continue to flood the Web, all signs point to the company unveiling a final design at E3 2013.

Release Date: April 2013 (Rumored)

The rumored successor to the One Series is already being billed as HTC’s new flagship phone and the GS IV’s biggest threat. Judging by the company’s tremendous track record over the past six months and the phone's rumored spec sheet, the M7 has the potential to pull off a Manual Marquez-like defeat. We could be looking at a 4.7-inch 1080p display, 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon CPU, 13MP camera, and 2GB of RAM housed in an aluminum unibody design. There’s also talk of HTC bringing over a flexible screen. If the M7 is anything like the One X+ or DNA, we're sold.

Release Date: June 2013 (Rumored)

Whether it's the iPhone 5S or 6, the notion of Apple releasing another smartphone by mid-2013 isn't far fetched. According to Business Insider, Jefferies analyst Peter Mises concludes the device will feature a new “Super HD camera/screen, a better battery, and NFC.” That’s not all. Mises doesn’t count out the possibilities of “an IGZO screen for Retina+” and 128GB storage. Oh yeah, six different color options as well. Those iPod Touche are going to be a tough sell.

Release date: Q1 2013

So, Google's first set of notebooks weren't well received and sold pretty poorly. But the latest Samsung Chromebook charmed us so much we included it as part of our Best Gadgets of 2012 round-up. Riding high on positive feedback, it appears as if the company's ready to launch its own line of 13-inch, touch-based machines heading into the early half of 2013. A report from the Commercial Times suggests only 20 million units are being put into production.

Release Date: April 2013

Samsung’s follow-up to the best-selling Android phone of all time has been on our radar since the company began teasing its CES announcement weeks back. Unlike the GS III, the next-gen Galaxy should flaunt the latest specs including a 2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 13MP rear camera. But all eyes are on the unveiling of Samsung’s 5.5-inch flexible-display. Other reports have the GS IV debuting at Mobile World Congress in February. Either way, expect to see it sometime in the next few months.

Release Date: Mid 2013

The resounding success of its e-reader and tablet divisions opened the lane for the online retail giant to enter the cell phone market. Whispers from the Taiwan Economic News have Amazon employing Foxconn to manufacturer its first ever smartphone. The same report indicates the device will run on the Android platform and carry a consumer-friendly $200 price tag. A second-gen Kindle Fire HD tablet is also said to be in the works.

Release Date: First half of 2013 (rumored)

A number of big-name companies including Microsoft and Sony have attempted to crack the smart watch market, but none attained the success Apple did. And Apple didn't even release an actual watch. The sixth generation iPod Nano was the smallest ever iPad with a screen ever made by Apple. It had a 1.55-inch display and 24-hour battery life. And though it didn't have video playback, it became wildy popular when third-party companies dicovered it could double as a wrist watch. Thus another Apple accessory market was born.

Now that the seventh-gen iPod Nano has grown in size, rumors have sprouted up saying Apple is partnering with Intel—which is venturing the into the mobile processor market—to build a Bluetooth-enabled wrist watch that will pair with iOS devices. Chinese tech blog TGbus says the watch will come with a 1.5-inch OLED display and and may launch in the first half of 2013. 

Release Date: Early 2013

The legendary German camera company has carved a niche on the black-and-white photography front with its luxury line of colorless shooters. Now comes word of Leica unveiling a follow-up to its M model, which will sport the company’s first 24MP Max CMOS image sensor and capture a sensitive range of IS0 200 to 6,400. It'll shoot 1080p HD at 25p frame rate and can mount Leica’s legacy R glass with a separate adapter, too.

Release Date: Summer 2013 (Rumored)

Since leaked shots of the C650X Odin surfaced online months back, Sony’s smartphone has gained a serious buzz heading into CES. The device is rumored to feature a 5-inch 1080p screen, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, and 2GB of RAM. Granted, the Xperia series continues to struggle on the domestic front, but the Odin has the potential to keep Sony in the Android hunt.

Release date: Q2 2013

Sony and LG already wowed us with their colossal and ridiculously expensive 4K TVs. Looks like Toshiba’s joining the soiree and leading by example heading into CES with its 84-inch “Quad Full HD” offering, which is powered by the manufacturer’s CEVE Engine and pumps out a 3840 x 2160 resolution. No official release date or pricing has been announced, but we can expect this beauty to range around the $15,000—$20,000 mark.

Release date: Late 2013 (rumored)

Talks of Apple’s revolutionary TV date back to the Steve Jobs era. But after months of speculation, CEO Tim Cook teased again teased us during an interview with NBC's Brian Williams stating the television market was "an area of interest" for the company. Reports from Taiwan say Apple is shopping for flat-screen panels within the 46- to 55-inch range, while the Wall Street Journal claims electronic suppliers have begun testing the top-secret product. Siri integration, iCloud support, and iDevice compatibility are just a number of the features being advertised.