Tech's biggest winners in 2020

Despite everything we've all been through, though, there were a few bright spots in the world of tech. Console makers blessed us with mouthwatering next-gen hardware, while Apple wowed the industry with the prowess of its own M1 CPU. Google also delivered an excellent phone for just $350, demonstrating an ability to not just read the room, but also to think of a world beyond a well-heeled tech-savvy audience. There are also companies that flourished during the global lockdown, and though truth continued to be contested throughout the US elections, we thankfully saw social media step up their efforts to combat misinformation. Clearly, staying home gave some of us the freedom to produce great products and fight for good. Apple's M1 system on a chip (SOC) may be tiny, but its impact on the computing industry will be felt for years to come. The first of Apple's silicon to reach Macs, the M1 is a powerhouse, with 8 CPU cores and up to 8 GPU cores. Both the M1-equipped MacBook Air and MacBook Pro blew away comparable Intel or AMD-based PCs in the Geekbench 5 benchmark.