[jacquesm]

Interesting tidbit, when you scroll down the page to the end where the logos are displayed, the apple logo looks new, shiny and modern, the microsoft logo looks old and boring.

Their corporate images reflect the logos quite well.

edit: funny moderation here, would you mind telling me why ? Apple logo on the page not shiny ? Microsoft logo not old and boring ? Or do you - mistakenly - take me for an apple fanboy or something ?

[dflock]

I don't know about the moderation, but what you said is entirely subjective - and quite possibly simply your perceptions of the two companies projected onto their logo's. You could equally well say that the MS logo on that page is elegant, simple and understated, while the Apple logo looks cheap, plasticy and tacky. Either personal opinion would be equally valid, just looking at the two logo's on that page.

[jacquesm]

Apple has adapted their logo over the years - and their website - to reflect the changing times, microsoft has kept their logo the same for a very long time.

Now there is something to be said for keeping your logo the same, possibly forever. But the crowd that apple appeals to and that they intend to sell their gadgets and computers to loves shiny stuff, and apple is very good at making shiny stuff. It stands to reason they'd adapt their logo to that.

Microsoft has a much stronger presence in the corporate world and I think that is why their logo looks the way it does and why they don't want to change it too much. They try not to be a fashion statement, apple tries very hard to be one.

[smackfu]

Microsoft keeps a steady logo for the company, and updates the logo for their products. See Windows vs. Vista vs. Windows 7.

Apple doesn't have logos for their products, so they update their company logo instead.

Just different approaches.

[werrett]

I'd beg to differ that Apple doesn't have logos for some of their products. For example:

iTunes - http://www.google.com/images?q=itunes+logo Garageband - http://www.google.com/images?q=garageband+logo

But not all certainly - http://www.google.com/images?q=iPad

[smackfu]

Here's another one, didn't last long: http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/ilife05-box-200.gif

[norswap]

So irrelevant. Apple logo is indeed shiny, but it's 90ies-shiny. I much prefer Microsoft logo.

[jacquesm]

Not so irrelevant. I have no dog in this fight, I prefer linux over either, but the image that those companies project is very important in their contact with their target audience.

When given a choice between an ipod and a zune with twice the storage capacity the majority of teen-agers would probably pick the ipod.

When you sell consumer stuff 'cool' matters.

Microsoft always has to balance their business image with their 'cool' image and in most (hardware) consumer products (other than the Xbox) they seem to fail at that. Phones that run windows CE are (rightfully) seen as old fashioned, the zune was dead on arrival and so on.

Cool & shiny really matter.