• Christmas 2012 saw record iOS and Android device activations, while industry reports show App Store downloads soared by 87 percent.
• Both the Apple App Store and Google Play saw healthy revenue gains in 2012, with more monetization and potential for global growth ahead in 2013.
• 2012 was (finally!) the year of mobile – from the launch of the iPhone 5 to Android device supremacy. But some say we’ll look back on 2013 as the year of the tablet.
• Will Apple unveil a new iPhone in 2013? This is just one of many predictions industry experts are making for the new year.

TheNextWeb reports that Christmas Day 2012 saw a record 17.4 million iOS and Android device activations – or 2.5x more than Christmas Day 2011 – according to Flurry. And new stats from Distimo indicate that daily downloads in the Apple App Store increased by 87 percent on Christmas Day, while revenues increased by 70 percent. This data “supports the common idea that developers should make a point to take advantage of the holiday season by updating and tweaking their apps in the weeks leading up to the 25th of December,” writes TheNextWeb’s Emil Protalinski. The 2012 holidays also marked a turning point in the history of mobile marketing, with more campaigns and shopping conducted on smartphones and tablets than in years past. If you’re interested in learning which holiday mobile marketing strategies worked well this year (and which ones didn’t), we invite you to join our free Mobile Marketer webinar on Jan. 24 – register here.

TechCrunch reports on the latest findings from ABI Research which show that mobile apps hit 43.6 billion downloads worldwide between September 2011 and September 2012, with Apple’s App Store leading the pack. In fact, all the app stores felt the boom of the mobile economy during 2012. Daily revenue in the Apple App Store grew 21 percent in 2012, while Google Play’s app revenue increased 43 percent, reported Steve Smith of MediaPost. Android’s operating system also realized remarkable gains in the latter half of 2012 with its improved user experience and scale of penetration. Device-wise, international growth also surged – the iPhone in Japan, China, and Russia; and Android devices in Korea, Japan, and France.

While pundits have been proclaiming "the year of mobile" for a few years, now, 2012 actually lived up to those expectations in several ways. But what will be shaking the industry in 2013? Greg Sterling of Marketing Land predicts that a year from now, we’ll look back on 2013 as “the year of the tablet.” According to a recent Nielsen survey, the gadget children and adults desired most this holiday season was the iPad, and many unwrapped Apple’s tablet Christmas morning. In fact, of the 17.4 million devices activated Dec. 25, 51 percent were tablets.

And what will make headlines in 2013? Will it be a new iPhone from Apple? A new flavor version from Android? Will Motorola make its first official flagship device for Google? Dan Rowinski of ReadWrite makes some bold predictions on what’s to come for mobile in 2013, especially after a year of tremendous industry growth.

• After the turkey is carved tomorrow, the 2012 holiday shopping season will officially begin – and mobile will have a giant impact on holiday sales.
• Many big-name brands such as Google, Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon have unleashed new or updated apps to assist smartphone-wielding holiday shoppers.
• After 66 million tablets were sold during the 2011 holiday season, industry pundits predict that tablets will continue to dominate wish lists this holiday season, thanks largely to to new product releases.

Beginning as early as tomorrow, 28 percent of smartphone or tablet-owning adults plan to holiday shop via their mobile devices, reported Mobile Marketer. The trend of “couch commerce,” coined by eBay and PayPal for when consumers go from the Thanksgiving dinner table to the couch to start holiday shopping, will continue exploding. Both companies saw a 511 percent increase in global mobile payment activities on Thanksgiving 2011 from Thanksgiving 2010. On Cyber Monday, 83 percent of consumers are expected to shop from home, further increasing the use of mobile to purchase gifts.

Aside from carrying bags in their hands on Black Friday, shoppers will also carry a powerful shopping assistant in their pockets – their smartphones. As a result, many big brands have rolled out new apps or updates just in time for the shopping frenzy. Google is now promoting inside floor plans of major retailers, while Wal-Mart is highlighting locations of major Black Friday markdowns. Target’s app is helping busy parents by scanning QR codes next to popular toys, paying via phones and shipping purchases for free. Amazon’s Price Check is expected to see heavy mobile traffic as shoppers search for discounted deals from the online retailer. To help arm smartphone users for the holiday shopping season, WIRED has listed its picks of top retail apps.

Atop wish lists this year are tablets, which are expected to surge this holiday season, according to Fox Business. The catalyst: new slimmer and smaller tablets such as Apple’s iPad Mini and Microsoft’s Surface that recently hit shelves. The iPad Mini will likely draw lots of purchasers because of its smaller price tag, and the Surface will potentially generate big sales because of its positive industry reviews. But consumers will ultimately have the final say in the success of the tablet PC market – and how many units will be sold this holiday season. 

• Even though Thanksgiving and Black Friday are next week, the holiday shopping frenzy is already in full force – and there’s no doubt consumers will turn to their tablets and mobile phones to shop.
• Speaking of tablets, one analyst believes the iPad Mini will generate “more demand than it cannibalizes.”
• While the iPhone 5 has been on the shelves for just two short months, Apple is reportedly already starting production for its next generation of the smartphone – the iPhone 5S.

‘Tis the season to use tablets and smartphones to shop. According to a survey of 550 consumers about their expected shopping channels this holiday season, 44 percent of online shoppers anticipate making a purchase on a tablet, and 41 percent say they would use mobile for shopping. Thirty-two percent of mobile and tablet users believe they will make a “big-ticket” purchase on these channels this holiday. “Overall, mobile platforms are the fastest-growing channels for making purchases,” writes Steve Smith for MediaPost.

Apple’s new “iPad Mini creates more demand than it cannibalizes,” says Cowen and Co. analyst Matthew Hoffman, because it will most likely attract entry-level tablet buyers, reported AllThingsD. The analyst firm recently conducted a study of 1,225 U.S. adults about their tablet-buying preferences and found that 12 percent said they would buy an iPad Mini in the next 18 months. Most interesting is that more than 50 percent of those who plan to purchase the iPad Mini are first-time buyers – something app developers and marketers should keep in mind.

While Apple only debuted the iPhone 5 in September, the technology powerhouse is already speculated to start trial productions for its next iPhone – the iPhone 5S – in December. According to Business Insider, which sources a Chinese business newspaper, the iPhone 5S is expected to hit full production in the first quarter of 2013, hinting at a possible spring release. There are also reports that Apple is developing a new iPad – also for the first quarter – that could be the iPad Mini featuring a retina screen. As with all Apple products, time will tell. 

According to industry data, mobile now trumps every other channel for media consumption. And a new study presents evidence that encourages app developers to increasingly incorporate custom ad experiences into in-app ads to bolster engagement. On the tablet front, Samsung has pulled out the big guns, unveiling its 2012 “hero product.” And two app brands in the jam-packed games category have found a way to crack the monetization mystery – and are reaping the benefits.

According to the latest InMobi data, mobile media consumption is through the roof, reports Mobile Marketing Watch. A new U.S. Q2 Mobile Media Consumption Report reveals that mobile now ranks first in overall daily media consumption, at 2.4 hours per day, outranking TV (2.35 hours) and PCs (1.6 hours).

A telling new report shows how advertisers can boost in-app engagement and click-through rates. MediaBrix has released results from its survey about what consumers like – and don’t like – about in-app advertising. The good news: Consumers like ads – 61 percent of smartphone users want free apps with ads – and they like the right ads, at the right time. “In-app advertising needs to acknowledge, embrace, and respect the user experience,” said MediaBriz CEO Ari Brandt in a VentureBeat report. The bottom line is that app developers must design custom ad experiences that are both innovative and integrated, and marketers must ensure their messages positively resonate with consumers.

In tablet news, Samsung began retailing the U.S. version of its tablet Galaxy Note 10.1. Although the company announced the device several months ago, it’s now “an entirely new beast,” according to VentureBeat. “The Galaxy Note 10.1 is being referred to as Samsung’s ‘hero product’ for 2012, and it’s evident from the constant retooling that the company was desperate to get this tablet right,” wrote reporter Devindra Hardawar.

Over the past few years, games have become the dominant category for mobile apps. Today, more than ever before, gaming app marketers are challenged to find ways to achieve monetization, the “Holy Grail” of gaming app marketing. This week, VentureBeat reported two mobile app companies that seem to have cracked the code. NaturalMotion’s iOS racing game, CSR Racing, generated a whopping $12 million in its first month of availability. And the Japanese gaming company Gree unveiled its North American revenue numbers for the first time, revealing the company grew 38 percent in the second quarter alone.