Here are some of the cool things that came out from Microsoft and Apple in 2015. If we missed something, feel free to add them to the list.

Microsoft

Windows 10

The launch of Microsoft’s new operating systems, Windows 10 was big news for the company in 2015. Previewed a year ago, Windows 10 was billed by the company as the OS that would create a multi-channel gateway for users. Windows 10 was considered by many as the OS that users would have wanted Windows 8 to be.

Cortana

Windows 10 also ushered the release of other things like Cortana, a virtual assistant that was Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s Siri. Cortana allowed users to connect to Windows Phone the desktop and Microsoft’s new Edge Wen browser.

Windows Universal App

The Windows Universal App platform also enabled developers to build apps that work with Windows 10 phones, tablets and computers.

It appeared like Microsoft could not do anything wrong. However, as the adoption of the OS grew, the company was slammed for being too aggressive in pushing Windows 10 as well as collecting personal data sent from Windows 10 to its servers.

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Surface Book

For years, Microsoft had partnered with Dell, HP and Toshiba, but in 2015, Redmond released its own laptop, the Surface Book.

Microsoft appears to be emulating Apple’s formula of producing its own hardware and selling directly to customers.

What to expect from Microsoft

Microsoft is hoping the Universal Apps platform will attract more app developers to help the company deal with the issue of a dearth of applications for its products.

Continuum is a new technology from Microsoft that enables people to use their phone like a computer by connecting the device to a keyboard, monitor and mouse. However, in order for it to catch on, it will need third-party app support.

Apple

Apple Watch

In 2015, Apple finally released its much anticipated Apple Watch. The company’s foray into the wearables market was Apple’s first new release since it unveiled the iPad five years prior.

Apple was late in the wearable market and many other large companies had their own smartwatches in the shelves by the time the Apple Watch was rolled out. However, as in all things Apple, the device quickly became a top seller.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Apple’s iPhone 6 came debuted with a bigger sister.  The iPhone 6 Plus was apple’s entry into the large smartphone trend. The 6 and 6 Plus were released in late September 2014 and were one of the most desired phones in 2015.

The 3D Touch feature on the new phones enables the 6 and 6 Plus to recognize pressure being applied to the display screen, providing users with new ways to control their phones. Apple sold more than 13 million units of its new phones in the first three days of their release.

Apple TV

In 2015, Apple decided to build in Siri functionality into its Apple TV. The upgrade allows users to search for programs without having to type letters on the remote, which is really a pain.

Apple TV also gained its own App Store allowing developers to build games for the service.

Apple Music

With new music streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify eating into the market share of iTunes, Apple developed its own streaming service Apple Music.

Apple is hoping it can count on its extensive iOS user base to build Apple Music into leading contender in the music streaming space.

iPad Pro

Tablet sales may be declining, but Apple still released a new iPad in 2015, in a big way.

The iPad Pro has a giant 12.9” Retina display screen, nearly double the CPU performance of the iPad Air 2 and with 128GB of memory and 4GB of RAM.

Thin, light and epic, were the words Apple used to describe the new tablet.

What to look forward to from Apple

Automotive technology was all the rage in 2015 so what better way for Apple that to get in on the game than building its own car.

Business news site Bloomberg.com is predicting that Apple will be ready with its own car by 2019. It’s not too farfetched.

Such a move would pit Apple against Google which is already working with Ford to build a self-driving car.

There have been reports that Apple has taken on a number auto industry execs as well as some engineers from Tesla to look into the development of an electric car.