2011 saw the introduction of new technologies and new devices that drove the tech industry forward. With 2012 now upon us, we take a look at some of the leading companies in the tech industry, and offer our predictions of what we can expect from them in the year ahead.

Samsung
Samsung held its own in 2011, launching a number of leading products that included smartphones, televisions, laptops, and tablets. With a strong sense of style, and tech specs that could match just about any of its competitors, this company gave its rivals a run for their money at every turn. We expect to see that same drive from them again throughout the year.

Look for Samsung to continue to up its game in mobile and home theater. Its Galaxy smartphones and tablets are some of the best out there, and its HD Smart TVs have some of the best built-in features and some of the sharpest screens we've seen. It's a sure bet that we'll be seeing more new products in these areas, as well as significant updates to existing products in the coming months.

Another space in which Samsung is expected to shine, is laptops. The Series 9 proved to be the first true competitor to Apple's MacBook Air, bringing Windows users a sleek, stylish Apple alternative for those wanting full PC power in a body that was still light enough and easy enough to take on the road. With rival companies expected to release a variety of new ultrabooks this year, look for Samsung to be ready to unveil new systems that are sure to impress as well.

Apple
Apple once again held its position as a leader in the tech space in 2011, bringing us the iPad 2, iOS 5, Lion, the Mac App Store, and the iPhone 4S. Look for the iPad 3 early in the year (with a new display, better battery life, and a faster processor), refreshes of its computer family, and the possible phasing out of its tower machines. A beefed up iMac and/or Mac Mini could take the place of any new Mac towers, and we should see feature updates for the company's iOS and OS X platforms, as well as better Siri integration. With ultrabooks on the way from competitors, Apple will need to make sure the MacBook Air can continue to hold its own, so look for feature and performance upgrades to the MacBook Air as well.

As far as the iPhone goes, it's almost a given that the iPhone 5 will be released later in the year. Last year, Apple moved its iPhone release schedule from the summer to the fall, which is a schedule they may stick to this year as well. It gives them more time to perfect the device, allows customers more time for their current contracts with carriers to expire, and places the device in stores just in time for the holiday shopping season. Look for a new design, bigger screen, better battery life, overall performance improvements, a better camera, and a new processor.

The rumored Apple television, with built-in Apple TV functions, has also been talked about, but it seems too early to release such a product, especially when TV prices have been so low, and there are so many choices on the market. Apple may hold off on this product this year, but look for updates to the current model Apple TV, and possibly even a new version of the Apple TV as well.

Microsoft
Microsoft made significant strides in 2011 with its improvements to its Xbox platform, Windows Phone, and a preview of the upcoming Windows 8. Look for the company to continue its push with Windows Phone and the Metro interface throughout 2012, and look for them to further weave the overall Windows Phone look and feel across its line of products.

If Microsoft can successfully blend its new Metro interface into a seamless experience across phones, PCs, tablets, and the Xbox, they could quickly find themselves back in the race against other companies that have been outpacing them, especially in the mobile marketplace.

Google
Google's Android platform continues to grow, and the release of Ice Cream Sandwich promises to help cure the problems of fragmentation across devices, as consumers upgrade their older Android devices to newer models. With one, powerful operating system running across devices, manufacturers of phones and tablets, as well as developers, should be happy.

Look for Google to continue to make improvements to Android in the coming year, and make a bigger push for the adoption of NFC technology, especially in the retail space with Google Wallet. You can also expect more feature updates to Google+, as the company tries to lure people away from the ever popular Facebook.

With the looming threat of a television product coming from Apple, you can also expect to see Google step up its game with Google TV. This could come in the form of continued improvements to current hardware on the market, but look to the company to seek out licensing deals with television manufacturers, for an integrated experience far better than what first generation Google TV users had.

Amazon
Amazon ended 2011 in a big way, with the wildly popular Kindle Fire. This 7-inch tablet was a huge seller for the company, and you can expect to see more from the Fire throughout the year. Look for more performance enhancements to come via software updates, and look for new hardware to come as well. Expect to see a 10-inch version of the Fire, and a new model of the 7-inch version later in the year.

Amazon will also continue to grow its digital content library in 2012. The success of the Kindle Fire was not only due to its $199 price tag, but to the ecosystem of digital books, magazines, newspapers, music, apps, and videos Amazon has built up over the past few years, an ecosystem of content many see as a strong challenger to iTunes. With the Kindle Fire, Amazon is currently the strongest competitor to Apple's iPad for people looking for a less expensive tablet alternative, even if it doesn't have all of the capabilities of a full tablet. The company will have to keep a close eye on competitors looking to release small tablets at lower prices, and make sure that it keeps its lead in this space.

Like 2011, 2012 looks to be another great year for tech. With major companies all looking to bring the latest and greatest to market, the end result will be more high quality products for consumers to choose from, and more capability to customize those products to make them work for you.