RSSMicrosoft Rebrands Internet Explorer 7
By Nate Mook | Published August 15, 2005, 11:24 AM
Microsoft developers on Friday unveiled a new logo for Internet Explorer 7, along with quietly changing the way the browser is branded. IE7 will now be known as Windows Internet Explorer 7, emphasizing its integration with Windows Vista. IE7 will, however, be released as a standalone upgrade for Windows XP SP2 users.
Although Microsoft has long said that Internet Explorer's days as a standalone product were numbered, vulnerabilities in IE6 and pressure from newfound competitors such as Firefox pushed the company to rethink its strategy. Still, IE7 will not be released for Windows 2000 or older releases of the operating system.
Beta 1 of Internet Explorer 7 was released to MSDN subscribers and beta testers in late July. The browser is expected to bring with it long-awaited features such as tabs, security improvements and better support for CSS and other Web standards.
As part of the update, Microsoft has also polished the IE logo for version 7. "We considered more radical departures from our current logo, but blue "e" with the ring is very recognizable and familiar to users, so we elected instead to make more subtle changes," wrote IE developer Tony Chor.
"The new "e" has more modern look, and the edges are a bit darker so the icon stands out better against different backgrounds. We liked the gold ring too since it brings in new energy and helps the icon pop a bit more than the old one."
The IE7 release for Windows Vista will have a slightly different icon. Chor said that in order to match the overall icon design slated for Microsoft's new operating system, IE7 will feature a slightly different look from its Windows XP SP2 and x64 counterparts.
"We're not quite ready with that one yet, but we'll share it here once we do," Chor promised.
I guess no wants to comment on the fact that microspud is forcing you to use a new OS to get a decent browser, just another way to rip off the computer public.
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IE7 will be available for XP SP2 as well as Vista though Vista will give it some new shiny bells and whistles (like a new icon) but honestly, I don't think it's worth it.
Plus, let's not forget, those who can't or won't upgrade to SP2 (yes they exist) won't get IE7 unless they have a change of heart and that opens the door for alternative browsers.
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blah, blah, blah, MS sucks, blah, blah, monopoly, blah, blah, mass consumer fraud, blah, blah, blah, let's kill Bill Gates, blah, blah....
I swear... it doesn't matter what the topic is, the exact same comments are posted every time.
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Kill Bill Gates is posted every time? O_o
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Doesn't look like they are forcing anything on you. I have it installed on XP.. not vista
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My OS is totally uptodate with all the security fixes - and I don't have SP2 installed. I ain't installing it just to get IE7. Firefox is becoming more appealing to me every day I use it.
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A new logo does nothing to fix the many issues with it's browser. not impressed.
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Err they may have polished the logo but that ain't the same as rebranding.
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I think the rebranding you're referring to is the move from Microsoft Internet Explorer to Windows Internet Explorer.
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Hmm. Should be called 'Windows XP SP2 &/or Windows Vista (stupid name) Internet Explorer Only' maybe.
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I've been running the IE 7 beta for a week or so now and I find that it renders web pages considerably faster than IE 6. But the IE 7 beta seems to be at least as W3C noncompliant as IE 6 is.
I'm still using Opera as my main browser as it still owns IE 7 in almost every way.
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the look is kinda old and corny looking, but even worst was the beta for ie7 latest build :-(
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like the new look, anxiously awaiting the finished product.
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OK, so IE 7 will have a neat-o new logo, tabbed browsing and other assorted candy. The term "lipstick on a pig" comes to mind.
But how about CSS2 compliance and security improvements? One would think a company truly under pressure to compete would put the latter two features as more important the former.
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Hearing about CSS2 compliance and security improvements would be great, IF this was a press release about that stuff. Look back a couple of weeks to those releases and you'll find plenty of information.
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"One would think a company truly under pressure to compete would put the latter two features as more important the former."
IE still has 87% market share, that hardly qualifies as "pressure to complete".
There is no competition right now.
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"IE7 will now be known as Windows Internet Explorer 7, emphasizing its integration with Windows..." :)
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I bet it it's going to be shortened even farther to windows explorer 7...
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I like the competition. IE would improve at a snails pace if Firefox had not come along. Right now I still give the nod to Firefox but I am willing to wait and see. I agree with Microsoft about the logo. Good or bad, it is smart not to try and redesign or rename the browsers logo too much.
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Who really cares what the logo looks like as long as IE7 works better than IE6. I mean seriously, it just a logo, big deal.
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Considering the size and ultimately ,the vast financial resources available, cannot Microsoft hire , buy or steal a suitable graphics designer. Google would be a suitable source for recruitment .Maybe Microsoft could hire one of their vice-presidents.
Microsoft always manages to put the ug in ugly
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Actually, the gold ellipse is looking more like a certain biological orifice, from which the "e" is emerging and getting ready to fall into the water and be flushed. Oh well. :)
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I actually really like the new logo. Nice to see MS finally revising these ancient logos we're still seeing.
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Ancient? They just changed it (updated its appearance, not a major change--just like this one) with Windows XP and Internet Explorer 6.
This marks at least the fourth revision of the logo since version 3 shipped with Windows 95 B, and I don't even remember if there were any before that--and I might be skipping some in between.
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Not bashing the new IE ... but does anyone else think that logo is ugly? And if I'm reading TFA correctly, it appears this is the logo on XP/20003 and that the Vista one will be slightly different! It doesn't fit in with the general style of XP icons like the current one for IE 6 (which I think is a great icon) does.
Not that I'm complaining--hopefully it'll turn people away... :-)
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Does anyone else get the feeling that the "e" is winking at you?
I don't know where that came from, but I just got that feeling... and it's weird.
It's almost like it's smiling.... and ...winking.
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Woo Hoo! Kewl new logo man! Does this new logo make it run faster? Or close any vulnerabilities? It will still suck.
FIREFOX FOREVER!!!
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Forever Phoenix..err...Firebird..err...Firefox, yeah Forever Firefox!!
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When Internet Explorer 4 Plus came out years ago the logo on the box was a blue e with a yellow ring.
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Really? Haha that's hillarious. I don't remember that at all. So much for the "new" logo.
Oh well... it's just a logo anyway. =/
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http://support.iglou.com...internetexplorer4-4.gif
Hah, there it is! Very interesting.
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He said "on the box", so I'm guessing the ring was either bigger, or looked bigger in print.
Interesting that the yellow streak is definitely there though.
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Here is the box:
http://img91.imageshack....ternetexplorerplusf.jpg
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hahaha nice...
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Cool, cool.
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Opera is opera...you can rename IE often as you like but ...Opera is Opera!
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And this has what to do with the article at hand?
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Your a real rocket scientist are you..
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Has anyone seen the latest? Supposedly between June and July IE gained market share and FF lost some. http://www.tomshardware....ws/20050815_101354.html
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Somehow I dont believe downloading unauthorized versions of IE 7 can be constured as an increase in marketshare: and what exactly does it have to do with the article at hand?
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i didn't realize you moderated these comment threads.
that's interesting though how ie gained ground and firefox lost it. not a huge jump but still interesting.
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Don't forget Vista; people are testing Vista and it comes with IE7
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Those stats that say Firefox has supposedly lost a tiny bit of it's market share, but it
ought to be noted that those stats are based upon a survey of just 40,000 people.
And how many times has Firefox been downloaded now? Over 80,000,000 times
when I last looked. And that figure continues to grow and grow and grow . . . etc.
80,000,000 vs 40,000. Hmmm, there really is no comparison. You do the math.
In reality, Firefox has lost NO market share, nor has IE regained any.
So stick that in yer pipe 'n' smoke it . . . !
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Interesting... I think you posted the exact same comment on another story.
*checks*
Yup. You did.
Read my reply to the other one. I don't want to type it over again.
http://www.betanews.com/...lips_in_July/1124123487
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"80,000,000 vs 40,000. Hmmm, there really is no comparison. You do the math."
I take it that statistics were not a big part of your educational upbringing?
40,000 sampling is pretty big, even when compared to the number of downloads (which is a crock too when you consider repeat downloading).
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"80,000,000 vs 40,000. Hmmm, there really is no comparison. You do the math."
I take it that statistics were not a big part of your educational upbringing?
40,000 sampling is pretty big, even when compared to the number of downloads (which is a crock too when you consider repeat downloading).
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