(6 December 2011 8:14 pm)

MUMBAI: Internet major Yahoo! announced the 10th anniversary edition of its Year in Review, the annual look-back that identifies the top stories and trends of the year based on nearly 700 million monthly unique visitors' activity on the network and billions of consumer searches.

The annual look-back of aggregated visitor activity is a gauge for worldwide interests. The 2011 Year in Review is available in 17 versions including India, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, UK and the US, it said.

Interestingly, the top search term of 2011 didn't go to a person or a news event, but to a technological marvel. The "iPhone" led the 2011 search queries, bypassing a reality TV star's marriage and pending divorce, a notorious criminal defendant, and America's most wanted terrorist.

Yahoo! senior editor and Web trend analyst Vera Chan said, "The iPhone transcended gadget status. The device helped facilitate political movements around the world, and embodied the vision of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Fueled by news that he had stepped down as CEO in August, and then that he had passed away in October, searches for Steve Jobs skyrocketed on Yahoo!. By their nature, breaking news stories don't always crack the Top 10 list. People don't have to search for details they get in the news, and it's rare that a news story ends up on the overall list. Yet this year, Casey Anthony, Osama bin Laden, and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami all figured into the top ranking."

Women in pop culture dominated the Top 10 list. Kim Kardashian, who first appeared in 2009 filling in the Paris Hilton celebutante role, jumped to No. 3. Jennifer Lopez cracked the Top 10 after a nine-year absence, thanks to her 'American Idol'-fueled comeback. And singer Katy Perry reaped musical nominations and either tied or broke record sales.