Microsoft has ditched the Italics and unveiled a new corporate logo for the first time in 25 years as the US tech giant is setting the stage for a wave of products designed to steal spotlight. The new logo features a square made up of four separate coloured squares. The move comes with Microsoft ramping up the buzz for its Windows 8 operating platform and its first tablet computer, called Surface. The company is also making an aggressive effort to gain ground in the smartphone market. “It's been 25 years since we've updated the Microsoft logo and now is the perfect time for a change," said Microsoft brand strategy manager Jeff Hansen. By revamping its logo, Microsoft is trying to signal that it has changed its thinking and its products to cater to people who are interacting with technology much differently than just a decade ago, let alone a quarter century. “This is an incredibly exciting year for us as we prepare to release new versions of nearly all of our products. From Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 to Xbox services to the next version of Office, you will see a common look and feel across these products providing a familiar and seamless experience on PCs, phones, tablets and TVs," he said. The logo also includes the name Microsoft in the Segoe font that is used in products and marketing communications, along with the new squares. “This wave of new releases is not only a re-imagining of our most popular products, but also represents a new era for Microsoft, so our logo should evolve to visually accentuate this new beginning." Microsoft is set to release its Windows 8 next-generation operating system tailored for a world shifting from personal computers to smartphones and tablets on October 26. Nokia and Microsoft are expected to unveil a smartphone equipped with the Windows Phone 8 operating system on September 5. Along with the new computer and smartphone OSes, the Office update as well as new Xbox services “you will see a common look and feel across these products providing a familiar and seamless experience on PCs, phones, tablets and TVs," Meisner said. This is Microsoft's fifth logo since Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded the company 37 years ago. When it last changed its logo in 1987, Microsoft had been a publicly traded company for less than a year and boasted a market value of about $2 billion. It peaked at more than $600 million in 1999. Now, Microsoft's market value stands at $254 billion _ less than half of Apple's market value of $623 billion. Gulfnews
