Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system is well on its way to retail availability, and that means retail packaging. Unlike the simple green boxes of previous operating systems (ultimate edition excluded), Microsoft has decided to overhaul its box art for the new OS in Windows 8 UI style. The new boxes feature a large and colorful tile-based Windows logo set against either a white or black background color. Windows 8 will get a white background with Blue text and Windows 8 Pro versions will feature the black background and white text. It is not a bad design as far as Microsoft box art goes. The simple design is fairly pleasing to the eye, though some might argue that the OS inside the box is not as pretty as the box itself.
The Verge managed to get its hands on the image above of the two boxed Windows 8 versions. Reportedly, Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro will be the only two versions that are sold at retail. Further, the two boxes are for the retail (not upgrade) versions. While The Verge speculates that the upgrade versions of Windows 8 will look similar to the boxed versions of Windows 7, there is no way to know for sure until the box art leaks or Microsoft announces it officially.
What do you think of the new Windows 8 retail box art? Did Microsoft make a good move here?
You can find more of PC Perspective's Windows 8 coverage by following our Windows 8 tag.
For comparison's sake: here's what the boxed copies of Windows 7 look like:
Poop in a pretty box, well!
Poop in a pretty box, well! is just poop in a pretty box!
I like the wavy window logo
I like the wavy window logo better then this flat thing.
I felt the same way when I
I felt the same way when I first saw the new logo, but then I read the reasoning for the change – essentially that it’s not supposed to be a flag, it’s supposed to be a window.
And I guess I can get on board with that.
Still, the shapes behind the
Still, the shapes behind the “window” look like they belong in the 90s with those colors.
heh Windows 8: Acid Trip
heh Windows 8: Acid Trip Edition? LOL
After all these years I had
After all these years I had been carrying out this exercising thinking it was going to whip me in shape, wow!
Yes the folks that thought up
Yes the folks that thought up The interface formerly known as Metro! They had an acid trip party like is 1999! I guess they will use a trippy symbol for the new interface name, I suggest a steaming pile of poop symbol, with rainbow colored wavy stink lines!
All of your smelly,
All of your smelly, Apple-biased comments need not waste our time here. Get lost, now!
Who said anything about
Who said anything about Apple? lol
I could care less about
I could care less about Crapple or Microcrud! Microsoft’s ________ GUI sucks and apple sucks TOO. In Fact If you would take the time to pull your nose from between Steve Ballmer’s gluteus maximuses things would begin to smell much nicer!
Good. Now i know what not to
Good. Now i know what not to look for.
whats with all this silly
whats with all this silly “from the / belong in / the 90’s” crap.
This design is objectively
This design is objectively bad. I find it shocking that a professional designer of such things would settle on this as a final design.
But hey, they’re keeping everything about Windows 8 consistent, Microsoft is really going all-in.
Truth is Microsoft has been riding on the financial success of the Windows team (mainly their OEM licensing) and Office team. Everything else that they do loses money (yes, including the Xbox guys once you sort out the accounting wizardry)and this is the first time that I can think of where Microsoft is actually WILLINGLY risking one of the two golden geese. WindowsME or Vista was an accident, this is bad on purpose.
What a bunch of idiots, especially Balmer who gets paid MILLIONS to basically just not be an idiot, and that’s it. They feel pressure from the shareholders for not taking a big slice of the ipad pie? Guess what you morons, you want to take marketshare from ipad, MAKE A BETTER TABLET. But you still have no idea why people buy ipads, do you Balmer? It isn’t just the idea of an “app store”. It’s a managed ecosystem with a consistent quality of service, from the damn scrolling animations, to the software common look an feel, to the fact that the OS is not managed by third parties and the userbase is not fragmented. The world-famous iOS “apps” grew naturally in such an environment. It was DESPITE the negative aspects of vendor lockdown and other restrictions, not BECAUSE of them. Ballmer the idiot wants to copy the negatives and is oblivious as to WHY apple controlled iOS the way they did. Yea Ballmer, you’ll have a walled garden too. Except nobody will be in it.
Hay!!! King Windows, Give me
Hay!!! King Windows, Give me the Liberty to RAID my cheepo USB thumb drives, or give me Blue Screen of Death!
Hay, Microsoft now Calls it
Hay, Microsoft now Calls it the “Modern UI”, OK M$ you’ve gone one step further, Now! You’re putting lipstick and a wig on that PIG. What next, maybe wings?