Oliver Haslam on October 4, 2015, 8:37 am

It Seems Apple Doesn’t Like Microsoft’s Windows Logo, Designs Its Own

We all know how Apple likes to keep things as controlled as possible, especially if that happens to mean that they are under Apple’s control. Apple is also all about branding, which is why it has had some accessory partners redesign their packaging to better fit in when displayed inside an Apple Store. Now it turns out that Apple’s thinking also reaches as far as its website, with a screenshot showing how Apple has created its own Windows logo, rather than using Microsoft’s own.

In a move that apparently stems from not wanting to have one of its competitors logos splashed across its website, Apple has created its own Windows logo for use on the company’s website. Shown on a page which is designed to help users install iCloud apps on Windows, the new image is stoically minimalist and we think it actually looks nicer than Microsoft’s own offering, though that’s obviously a matter for discussion. We suspect Microsoft would disagree.

Apple-Windows-logo_1

Apple’s relationship with Microsoft at this point is a good one, which makes this move a little more awkward. The logo has apparently been live since May and was discovered by a Hungarian tech blog that subsequently shared a screenshot on Facebook, so it’s not exactly new. Microsoft and Apple are now so friendly that the software giant was trotted out on-stage to show its software running on Apple’s new iPad Pro, so it’s clear that relations between the two companies have seldom been so good. Maybe the lack of Steve Ballmer has helped that along, who knows?

Microsoft is unlikely to be overly pleased that Apple isn’t using an officially sanctioned logo on its website, but given that it has zero control over what Apple puts on its own support documentation, there isn’t a great deal it can do about it.

Except, perhaps, copy it for Windows 11?