Skip to main content

Microsoft's unused logos for Windows XP are delightfully weird

Though the logo for the much beloved Windows XP is now considered iconic, it could have ended up looking a lot differently.

Windows XP introduced the 3D spin on the classic OS logo back in 2001, but according to Creative agency Frog Design and reported on by CreativeBloq, that spin could have easily been a complete revitalization of the logo. Creative director Casey Potter stated that Microsoft came to them wanting an outside perspective for its next OS’s logo.

"The Windows mark needed to maintain the brand equity it had accrued in its long history while expressing the evolution towards a more flexible, user-friendly brand." As a result, Frog Design came up with 50 different logos for the tech giant, which ran the gambit between “simple to radical alterations.”

You can see the logo designs below, and it's really fascinating seeing how unique some of these versions are.

Image 1 of 2

windows xp logos

(Image credit: microsoft)
Image 2 of 2

windows xp logos

(Image credit: microsoft)

The hidden dangers of Windows XP

It’s no secret that Windows XP, over two decades after its initial release, is still one of the most popular of Microsoft’s operating systems. Just as recently as 2021, Lansweeper found that out of 50 million devices running a Windows OS, 3% were running Windows XP which is about 1.5m. 

And this is in spite of the fact that Microsoft stopped supporting XP in early April 2014. And though it’s nice to take a fond look at the OS through new information like this, it’s also vital to recall that it’s time to let go of XP for good.

And while it’s understandable that people are reluctant to let go of an OS that’s familiar, running XP in this day and age is a huge cybersecurity risk as it’s out-of-date and unprotected from the latest in cyberattacks. And it’s not just personal and work PCs at risk either, as many of these devices still running the OS are in critical infrastructure deployments.

In 2014, it was estimated that 95% of global ATMs still used Windows XP, and there’s a significant number of them that still run it to this day. There have been notable attacks in the past years too, from the notorious WannaCry ransomware to the attack on the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia.

Nostalgia is nice, but it’s best contained to looking back at early designs. Otherwise, it’s time to move on and embrace the present.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The latest Apple TV 4K test lets you watch four sports streams at once

Apple is trying something new with the latest beta version of tvOS 16.5: the option to watch up to four simultaneous streams at once. Right now it's limited to live sports streamed through the Apple TV app on the Apple TV 4K , specifically MLB Friday Night Baseball and the MLS Season Pass. A multi-view option was spotted in the tvOS software last month, but the code was hidden and not enabled. MacRumors reported that the feature would be enabled this weekend, and beta testers have since been able to use it. As yet multi-view hasn't been officially announced by Apple, but it's expected that tvOS 16.5 is going to be pushed out in its final form within the next month or so. WWDC 2023 is around the corner as well, when we should be hearing about the next major updates for Apple's various operating systems – including tvOS 17. How it works Over at 9to5Mac there's a hands-on demonstrating how the multi-view feature works, and it's pretty much as you would expe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Quantum computers are fast becoming cheaper and smaller — and they could be coming to a data center near you very soon

IonQ claims we’re closer to widespread enterprise quantum computing deployment as it lifted the lid on two rack-mounted models that can be deployed on-premises.   The startup has built the fourth-generation #AQ35 IonQ Forte Enterprise and fifth-generation #AQ64 IonQ Tempo, both of which are designed to be deployed in enterprise and government data centers. It’s also said it is deploying two quantum computers to the US Air Force.  While revealing these two models, IonQ co-founder and CTO Jungsang Kim said quantum computers are already in use by enterprises to churn through machine learning workloads. This, he added, suggests we’re much closer to readily available and affordable machines. Priming enterprises for a quantum future “We believe in the enterprise-grade quantum computing, which is where it can be something of value for enterprises, can happen in the next few years as we build powerful enough quantum computers that can actually do things that classical computers w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU could get cheaper with a new version – but don’t get your hopes up

Nvidia’s RTX 4080 is purportedly getting a new spin on the GPU which could reduce the cost, but any price reduction will likely be very minor, sadly, if it happens at all. Tom’s Hardware flagged up this rumor – and treat it with caution, as with anything from the ever-spinning mill – that originated from HKEPC (a tech site in Hong Kong), claiming that while the current RTX 4080 graphics card is built on the AD103-300 chip, Nvidia is going to use a slightly different GPU in the future, namely AD103-301. There’s now more evidence this is actually happening, Tom’s points out, courtesy of a graphics card maker, Galax, which under its RTX 4080 product details lists the GPU as ‘AD103-300/301’. Furthermore, VideoCardz , which also picked up on this, informs us that Gainward, another card maker, has also listed the updated GPU variant AD103-301 in its product specs. With two separate third-party graphics card makers mentioning this new spin on the GPU in their specs, it seems pret...
Post a Comment
Read more