New Windows 7 logo revealed?

David Flynn
13 May 2009, 12:17 PM


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Leaked box shots and a closed Microsoft-only FaceBook group reveal what appears to be the new look of Windows 7.


As an army of programmers and testers hammer away on Windows 7 in one part of Microsoft’s sprawling Redmond HQ, a smaller team of designers and graphic artists are already in high gear for the impending Windows 7 marketing assault.

It’s a salvo that will begin before the new OS launches around October and continue in varying degrees and forms until Windows 8 arrives some three years hence.

First up is a new brand identify for Windows 7 which reaches beyond the jewel-like Windows logo itself. This appears to have been finalised as a stylished chevron with the now-mandatory lens flare effect.



The logo was first sighted on Windows 7 retail box shots leaked at the start of this week by Polish Web site Centrum XP. While initially suspected as being fan-created fakes, some detective work by Aussie blogger Long Zheng uncovered an invitation-only ‘Windows Lounge’ Facebook group restricted to Microsoft employees.



Sorry sir, but this lounge is 'members only'...

This is described as being a “VIP Lounge reserved for the Microsoft community” and featuring “the lighter side of Windows 7”. A Microsoft email address is required to join. Artwork on the Facebook group’s landing page, however, contains the same ‘7’ logo as the artwork on those box shots.

So are the box shots themselves the real deal? Even if they’re legitimate, which we tend to think is the case, they’re still mock-ups bereft of mundane detail rather than the final retail packaging.


As expected they play off the same colour key as Windows Vista – green for Home Premium, blue for Professional and black for Ultimate.

New to the mix are the equivalent ‘upgrade pass’ boxes for stepping up from one edition of Windows 7 to another. These imply that the upgrade process itself, which Microsoft is expected to push quite assiduously, will be run under a ‘Get more now’ marketing mantra.

Take a look at the lot for yourself, and then let us know what you think about them...








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Halcon (User):

The waiting game, the guessing of how it will be, the hype, this is like a fashion gossip, What brand of clothing you will want to wear now?
A $2000 + Georgio Armani suit
or a no frills branded suit
The puzzle have been laid now, try to figure out for yourself!

13 May 2009, 1:29 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

JGrant (New user):

Good to see they've discovered token photoshop filters

13 May 2009, 2:24 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

todd_h86 (New user):

I think its fake, Windows Basic wont be released (retail) to developed nations but instead it will replace Windows Vista Starter in developing nations and Windows 7 Starter will replace Vista Home Basic and be the OS on most netbooks (I'm assuming) Also, I really doubt Microsoft will allow the Basic edition to be upgraded, see as it will be sold to the developing nations. Just my thoughts.

Also, isn't "Anytime Upgrade" the online upgrade path? Where your PC downloads the missing components of say Ultimate that arent in your Home Premium install, instead of the dvd upgrade?

13 May 2009, 3:12 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

djsflynn (APC staff):

As far as I know it's Windows 7 Starter edition that will be sold to developing nations, not Home Basic. For the rest of us Home Basic will be preloaded on entry-level PCs, from netbooks (some of which will also use Starter) to laptops and even some desktops, so that's why Microsoft will have an upgrade deal from Starter or Home Basic to Home Premium for instance.


13 May 2009, 3:53 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

todd_h86 (New user):

Hate to disagree, but I read here

http://windows7news.com/windows-7-home-basic/

"Windows 7 Home Basic is a Windows 7 edition that is not available worldwide. It has been specifically created by Microsoft to be sold in emerging markets"

and

http://windows7news.com/windows-7-starter/

"Windows 7 Starter has been specifically designed by Microsoft for the low end market that includes most netbooks and other PC hardware that has to be sold for the cheapest price possible"

Also going from a blog post by Paul Thurrott

http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/win7_skus_compare.asp

Not sure if they are 100% but Paul seems to be pretty much on the mark most of time and the Windows7 blokes often are too. Looks like Microsoft has flipped the two over for just that little more confusion needed with the SKU's!!

Also another article on

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1890


13 May 2009, 8:41 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

djsflynn (APC staff):

Yes, we can see how confusing this is all getting..! :P

It's true that Windows 7 Home Basic won't be sold at retail, but Microsoft _is_ looking to have this preloaded onto budget PCs (and likely some higher-end netbooks) to keep their price down, while also hoping to score some extra shekels from upgraders to Home Premium.

But that blogger's claim that Home Basic "has been specifically created by Microsoft to be sold in emerging markets" is rubbish, because it's pretty much the Windows 7 version of Vista Home Basic and XP Home.


14 May 2009, 2:33 AM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Dan Warne (Regular user):

I simply cannot believe Microsoft would fiddle with the Windows logo by adding leaves and flowers to it. It defies belief... so I'm calling fake.

13 May 2009, 3:24 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

djsflynn (APC staff):

Could of course be fake, but worth recalling that the leaves and flowers and other frippery are also elements on the Twitter-ish login screen for Windows 7, so maybe Microsoft is going for a decidedly mod friendly look..?

13 May 2009, 3:55 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Aubrey (New user):

But where has the Siamese fighting fish gone? That was such a cool analogy for MS's current marketing dilemma - Having several versions of their own OS fighting each other for market dominance and ripping each other to shreds in the process.

13 May 2009, 6:36 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

todd_h86 (New user):

As in the fish on the desktop?
I thought that was a Beta fish as in this is a beta OS....
I was obviously wrong!! hahah

13 May 2009, 8:27 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

It was... Inside joke by the people choosing what wallpapers to include. Beta OS has a Betta fish as the wallpaper.
Supposedly it wasn't to be the default for the final release, but given the association between Win7 and that Betta, I'd say it would be sensible to keep it.

14 May 2009, 11:07 AM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

McBanjo (New user):

I like the logo, but where's the 'Windows' part of their theme? All I see is a '7' slash and a solar flare. If this truly is the logo, they're gonna need to put it in the RTM version though. The one they've got at the moment is very lame, it's gotten old since the three times I've seen it on my loading screen.

13 May 2009, 10:09 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

djsflynn (APC staff):

I think you'll find the Windows brand will still be 'out there' but Microsoft would seek to simplify things in many campaigns to this single swishy '7', in the hope that the '7' alone comes to mean 'Windows 7' and thus convey all the messages of the OS in this form of visual shorthand.

It's sorta the Nike 'swoosh' strategy - it's all about refining and reducing a brand image to the simplest element while retaining its meanings and associations.

14 May 2009, 2:36 AM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Aubrey (New user):

I still get a strong association with the movie SE7EN - the one where Brad Pitt's wife's head gets delivered to him in a box (sorry if I just ruined the ending for those who haven't seen it). Maybe MS could restyle the box to reflect that. Not that Windows 7 will be quite such a nasty surprise (we hope).

On Win7 more generally - I've been running the latest RC in a Virtual Machine and find it horribly slow to boot, login and shutdown (with 1Gb of RAM - twice what I'd give any Linux distro) - but maybe it just doesn't like to virtualised (?). I never tried Vista but was quite tempted by W7 (the constant hype must have got to me). Frankly, it is quite nice to use but I've now become so used to Linux it seems really bloated and "spongey" to me - more like a Mac in someways. I may try it on a netbook or even a real machine to see if that impression sticks. I think some recent Linux distros are just so damn fast and responsive on modern hardware that my expectations are getting distorted.

14 May 2009, 12:10 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

djsflynn (APC staff):

Quoting Aubrey:
I still get a strong association with the movie SE7EN - the one where Brad Pitt's wife's head gets delivered to him in a box

Maybe that'll be one the of 'extras' with Windows 7 Ultimate...


14 May 2009, 1:31 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The Big Baboo (New user):

Mmmmmmmm I reckon they should have called it 14 because they tell for almost the same money you get twice as much bang for your buck or should that be twice the headache.And yea "Aubrey" that was a great movie with the "Brad" And if you go and see the latest "Star Trek" go and see it on an Imax screen or something similar coz it's a good one :)

14 May 2009, 2:55 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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