Google Zeitgeist 2013: Nelson Mandela, Paul Walker & iPhone 5s
Google has revealed its annual "Zeitgeist" wrap-up of the top searches of the year, bringing 2013 to a close with a run-down of the global trending searches that includes Nelson Mandela, the iPhone 5s, and the PlayStation 4. Continuing a summary tradition started back in 2001, Google Zeitgeist 2013 is also the broadest so-far, the search giant says: over 1,000 top ten lists, ranging from most-searched individuals, through TV shows, to gadgets.
On that gadget chart, the iPhone 5s takes top position, followed in second place by the Samsung Galaxy S 4. Next-gen consoles bring in third and fourth place – with Sony's PS4 edging ahead of Microsoft's Xbox One – while a pair of Androids come in fifth and sixth, with Google's own Nexus 5 and HTC's One respectively.
The iPad Air takes seventh place – actually the only tablet on the consumer electronics list – with BlackBerry 10 in eighth and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in ninth. Finally, Nokia's Lumia 1020 gives Windows Phone its only mention on the roster, in tenth place. Of the ten, only the top three devices make it to the global most-searched list.
Elsewhere, it's a run-down of how the year has gone in notable people, events, and memes. Nelson Mandela and Paul Walker top the People chart – you'll undoubtedly be pleased to know that Miley Cyrus is in fifth place on that one – while the Boston Marathon and Typhoon Haiyan take the top spots on the Events chart, just ahead of the US Government Shutdown.
In Movies, Man of Steel, Iron Man 3, and World War Z were the most-searched-for, while in TV it was Under The Dome, Defiance, and Big Brother 15 that got the most search engine attention.
The Harlem Shake may only have made it to number two in most-trending videos, but it certainly proved to be a popular meme for content-creators. Google says more than 1.7m versions of the dance were uploaded to YouTube. It wasn't the only dance making people curious, either, with "What is twerking?" supposedly the most popular "what is...?" query.