Microsoft May Retire Wavy Windows Logo
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Microsoft first introduced its four-color Windows logo over two decades ago with the launch of Windows 3.0 in May 1990 and it's been waving ever since. It's been altered over the years, with the Redmond software giant adding color gradients, shading, reflections, and other artistry tidbits to maintain a modern flair, but with the launch of Windows 8, the familiar logo might undergo a somewhat radical makeover.
Chinese website CNBeta.com posted what it claims are exclusive pictures of the redesigned logo, both as it appears in an upcoming Windows 8 consumer preview beta and as a physical button on an upcoming tablet. It wouldn't be difficult to fake either photo, and on the flipside, it wouldn't be hard to imagine Microsoft running with the new logo, which sports a flattened 4-square diagonal window pane that would look right at home with Microsoft's Metro UI.
What are your thoughts on the leaked logo?
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Pyrarrows
February 13, 2012 at 7:04pm
Odd, they're really going back to their beginnings...
Look up Windows 1.0 on Wikipedia, and you'll see what I mean :P
someuid
February 13, 2012 at 12:16pm
The trademark and circle-r are too big. They look like they were tacked on. Make them smaller, Microsoft.
And can we get a different color? The dark green just doesn't inspire. Looks like discount paint from the hardware store.
DarkMatter
February 13, 2012 at 11:57am
I gotta name for it.. but minors may be trolling this site... lets just say it looks like a shingle... and birds do this on shingles. yeah... think about it.. Shingles 8.. gonna need a shot or medication for that...
TechLarry
February 13, 2012 at 11:39am
We're gonna be stuck with a friggin' phone interface in Windows 8, so why not?
siramic
February 13, 2012 at 11:04am
If this is how much thought they also put into Windows 8, I'll pass.
SPreston2001
February 13, 2012 at 10:43am
Everything about Win8 spells disaster! Im not sure why the hell they decided to completely blow up something that they finally got right with Win7. Win8 looks ugly and bland with those stupid looking retro tiles. Im sticking with my beautiful Win7 platform until this crap blows over and dies by the wayside! Thanks Microsoft for taking two steps back into the Vista world!
ashinms
February 13, 2012 at 9:01pm
The ignorance of you people who call yourselves tech enthusiasts is sickening. You people realize this can be turned off, right? So many sheep out there complaining because someone before them complained...
Michael Ellis
February 15, 2012 at 8:20pm
Your arrogance is both amusing and disturbing. You have just excoriated someone who has posted a valid personal opinion about the new Windows layout with a heavily inflated diatribe in which there was exactly one fact, and a generalized and well known one at that.
Furthermore, as the previous commenter already pointed out, the current method that allegedly invalidates the OP's comment is a glitchy hack that could be removed at any time. Beyond even that, the necessity of using a hack to restore a time-honored interface from the, let us say controversial, one currently being prepared to be forced on consumers sets a bad precedent to say the least.
There's no reason to be hating on the opinion posters dude.
Blues22475
February 14, 2012 at 7:25am
In the Developer's Build, yes it can be turned off. I heard news, also, that they are removing the Start Button as well. No telling what the release candidate will be.
Seems Windows 8 is geared more towards tablets based off the way the tiles system works.
philipa25
February 13, 2012 at 10:21am
I don't mind it straightening out, but they should keep the colors.
jakejules
February 13, 2012 at 10:00am
I think it looks great. A very modern update that finally looks like a window and not a flag blowing in the wind(ow). I'm glad they lost all the primary colours and chose to render a monotone logo, which is both bolder and more client-centric (meaning the logo can change colours, and will be clear across all mediums, have you ever seen a photocopy of the old windows logo - yuk!) This is a big step towards helping Windows rebrand it's image from stale work machines to (I believe) once again becoming the king of computers across this decade.
Mortal_M
February 13, 2012 at 6:44pm
The old log is iconic, every time I see it I remember how I was blown up buy the windows interface, hell I remember how much fun I had the first time I played with MS Paint lol
This looks like it was made in 5 min
jnite
February 13, 2012 at 9:37am
That's too bland for a logo. Minimalist works for certain things but a logo needs to be a bit flashy. I've always liked the original flag. Whenever I see that logo, I think of Windows, and isn't that the point of a logo?
Zoandar
February 13, 2012 at 9:29am
They're firing their whole graphics department, right? Any 3rd grader could have designed a more aesthetic logo.
unsunghero225
February 13, 2012 at 9:19am
It will be a very sad day if they decide to get rid of the wavey logo.
Hey.That_Dude
February 13, 2012 at 9:15am
... that's not a window! That's a tile! they should call it Tile8!
idk, there's got to be humor there somewhere
Supall
February 13, 2012 at 8:50am
I won't be jumping on the "Hate Win8" bandwagon until I actually get a chance to mess with it upon release.
That being said, I can see why they would want to change their logo. Microsoft is moving towards a minimalist style as that is the trend nowadays. So the logo's message is clean and simple. I would expect the windows to be colored, though. Keeping it green like that just doesn't appear to be eye catching enough.
rawrnomnom
February 13, 2012 at 8:41am
From the Dev preview my opinion is that windows 8 will be worse than vista unless they remove that broken UI for laptop and desktop users. the logo is too bland to have any staying power.
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