Print - Exclusive: Why Microsoft Rebranded IE 7.0 as Windows IE 7.0

On its team blog last night, the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) team revealed the final branding for both the standalone version of IE 7.0 and the version that will be included in Windows Vista. The team also shared the final logo for the standalone IE 7.0 version. What you won't read anywhere else, however, is why Microsoft is changing the branding for such an established product.

Logos are fun for the kids, but Microsoft doesn't arbitrarily change such things. The important news around this announcement is that the logo design subtly reveals that IE 7.0 will henceforth be referred to as Windows IE 7.0 (the new name appears in the logo but isn't mentioned in the blog posting), further highlighting the fact that the browser is integrated with Windows and isn't a standalone product. Previously, the word Windows didn't appear in IE branding. According to a source at Microsoft, the change signifies that IE will no longer be available for other platforms (Microsoft previously shipped IE versions for the Macintosh) and that users should simply consider IE 7.0 to be part of Windows.

The last time Microsoft established new branding for an established product was with Microsoft Office 2003, which the company renamed Microsoft Office System. Microsoft renamed individual applications in the suite to include the Office branding so, for example, the company now refers to Microsoft Word as Microsoft Office Word 2003. The idea in both cases--IE 7.0 with Windows and Word with Office--is to leverage the visibility of the most prominent brand. Windows and Office combined account for the majority of Microsoft's annual revenues.

I'm happy they stuck with the 'big blue e' and didnt change the logo, I would have been flooded with phone calls when Vista was relased if the 'big blue e' wasnt there anymore. I like the new logo, it's looks alot more modern then the old one.

I love it too, although at first, I thought it was a pimp with a gold chain around its neck. Love it, but why didn't the gold ring go full circle?

Logo looks nice but, it is just a logo. A browser should never be integrated into an OS. It is a popular vector for attack as anyone can see. I will stick with FireFox for quite awhile. It does everything i need it to. I often wonder if IE was never integrated into Windows if the attacks like I love You and Blaster would have ever occured? Even though many programs rely on the IE Engine, i wonder what would have happened? We will never know of course and unless they remove it, never :( I like Windows XP but we will see.

Firefox is nice, security wise... But the coders really need to fix the JavaScript crash thing. It's really annoying.

Who cares about IE7 when Apple's Safari is the first web browser in history to pass the Acid2 test? Once again, Apple is years ahead of where Microsoft and its users are.

IE7 will continue to suck with web standards. My prediction? You Windows-using sheep will continue to support Micro$oft's monopoly power and their ability to literally alter history itself by holding back the Web by about five years. Think about it, the web should be looking a lot better than it does today via CSS2 and preliminary CSS3 as well as Xforms. But thanks to the glorious Micro$oft, the web still looks like it did five years ago. Congratulations! Now go and play The Sims.

Wow. A yellow swoosh and a black border. Boy, those Microsoft folks are design GENIUSES! Woo hoo!

Five years, and it's big news that IE has a new logo? Wow...Microsoft is dying. Have fun running admin accounts, spywawre cleaners, virus cleaners, registry cleaners, defragmenters, and system restore another three years, suckers.

ROFLMAO! Does anyone else love the way all of Microsoft's artwork now has the plastic highlight coming from the top, DIRECTLY RIPPED FROM APPLE'S AQUA VISUAL STYLE? You guys were using crappy "Luna" when the rest of us were using what Microsoft finally caught up to five years later. Sounds about right for everything else involving Windows. OS X Leopard is going to crush Vista...it's sad.

Why the "Windows" in front of it? Who didn't know IE7 was for Windows? What a stupid, pointless name. I'm buying a Powerbook this month, btw.

Anti-spyware software...anti-virus software...firewall software...defragger software...system restore software... That's a lot of junk software just to browse the net safely. God, Windows sucks. Go play The Sims in your admin accounts, sheep.

wow you mac users are saying the same thing over and over again. Go play the sims. It just so happens that out of the 95 percent of computer uesrs use their computers for web browsing, word browsing, and gaming rather than video editing. 3GHZ 512 RAM? how is that a big deal? That's mainstream. for those 3 year old computer still with 256 RAM u can get another 256 stick for only 30 dollars. You mac users really need to stop using ur "once all mighty g5 until you found out that macs are switching to intel" on something else rather than spamming a windows site.

***You mac users really need to stop using ur "once all mighty g5 until you found out that macs are switching to intel" on something else rather than spamming a windows site.*** -------------------------- Every anonymous user on here is a troll, no matter if your comments are in favor of Microsoft or not. How can your comment here be more relavent than the next troll's comment? Either way you're both trolls. Apple or Microsoft, Linux and Unix.. The relevance of your comment isn't the orientation, it's the legitimacy and truthfulness and sometimes most logically, on topic. It also seems to make more sense to post here as a registered user before calling someone else's comment spam... As far as the IE 7 name change, I'm not excited. The icon is at the very least, expected to look somewhat decent. Vista better prove it's high powered graphical capability that Microsoft has been toating for the past five years. I'm not that impressed, because to say the least I don't see how the icon could look worse than before.

"I recommend and use Mozilla Firefox, but Apple Safari (Macintosh only) and Opera 8 are both worth considering as well." - Paul Thurrott

"Every anonymous user on here is a troll, no matter if your comments are in favor of Microsoft or not. How can your comment here be more relavent than the next troll's comment? Either way you're both trolls." Come on, you don't see a difference? You troll.

I recognize pretty much all of those pro-mac comments from previous articles, it's probaly just one guy who just posts the old comments and a new one every so often. My thoughts are simple, spammers contribute to the topic at hand or leave, I dont mind the mac users here who contribute, but the spamming is getting annoying.

"defragger software" "That's a lot of junk software just to browse the net safely." Defragging has nothing to do with security. You mac guys are just clueless.

"GO PLAY THE SIMS IN YOUR ADMIN ACCOUNTS WHILE YOUR ANTI-SPYWARE/ANTI-VIRUS/FIREWALL/REGISTRY CLEANER/DEFRAGGER SOFTWARE SUCKS UP ALL YOUR CPU AND MEMORY IN THE "SYSTEM TRAY" I think the Mac users are ignorant too. Using all caps is NOT a good way to make a point on the web (at least to be take seriously, unless your 12 and trying to relate to other 12 year olds :P). The system tray doesn't do squat to memory or process performance. I almost hope the guy who did this was kidding, because otherwise he might be the biggest moron who's ever posted here.

"Friendly Mac users are welcome to stay." Agreed. "Wow. A yellow swoosh and a black border. Boy, those Microsoft folks are design GENIUSES!" If it was Apple doing that, you would **** your pants in excitement :P. "OS X Leopard is going to crush Vista...it's sad." Yeah, because erratic companies like Apple always crush competitors that are like 20x stronger than them. I've got one for ya. What's the Windows CE / Windows XP Embedded equivalent of Mac OS X? I don't recall ever seeing one anywhere... Feel free to whine about "how nobody uses those devices" though. Btw, have you seen the Apple mighty mouse? TWO FREAKING BUTTONS... Amazing :D.

Btw, since you have no problem making fun out of names, I would like to tell you that "Mighty Mouse" sounds extremely stupid. But it FEATURES touch-sensitive technology to distinguish between left and right clicks!!!!111 That's GREEAATT... I can pick up a PS2 Mouse with Buttons for a dollar. I never did like those laptop pads. Why would I care about the Mighty Gay mouse?

I wonder if the name change is for additional legal reasons? Next thing you know you will have companies trying to play the Real card: sueing because Internet Explorer is included in the OS. By trying to make it be more a part of windows than a stand alone addition like Media Player, they can avoid things like the stupid EU battle. Now, Microsoft deserves a bashing for many things, but that whole lawsuit was the stupidest thing I ever heard.

I like the way they used the "Gold halo" from the Earthlink internet comercials to spruse up the old "E". The ones where the wearer tells the person next to him/her that it's not real, only a marketing device. It's like looking at a bicycle and saying "That's cool! I think I'll invent that!" oh wait, I think that's how MS got started in the first place... Gotta love ole Billy Gates! He does know how to exploit an idea, even if it isn't his... jeees...

Pick one: "... "Mighty Mouse" sounds extremely stupid....why would I care about the Mighty Gay mouse?" --Homophobic WinInformant poster "I'm ecstatic that Apple finally created a multi-button mouse. I'll need to test it before I form an opinion of the thing, but the name ... Mighty Mouse? Classic." --Paul Thurrot

"Mighty Mouse? Classic." Sounds like Paul is making fun of it. "Homophobic WinInformant poster" It means a LOT coming from someone like you :P.

The reason I made that semi-tasteless comment is this. "Mighty Mouse" sounds like a cartoon super-hero. Is that the BEST Apple could come up with? And once again, I say, who cares. You can plug in a two-button mouse from Logiteck into a Mac. Which is better? Something that uses "touch" technology like laptops to determine which thing you pressed, or something simple like buttons? I thought Apple was trying to keep simple...

that logo looks good, though it hasn't changed much from the previous "e" and hey, not sure if anyone notice this or not. but that "e" looks like it is smiling! :-) hehe

The new IE 7 logo looks similiar to the logo they used for IE 5, which had a similiar yellow stripe across the E letter.

The idea of that "E" smiling will cause people's blood to boil -_-. e.g.: What the hell are you smiling at you buggy, insecure piece of crap? I will ******* kill you. I WILL ******* KILL YOU. III WIIILLL FU.... and so on :P.

"Sheep are we? have you thought about what will happen when apple supposedly 'dominates' the market? You'll be the sheep then dumbasses. Think about it!" As far as the trolls here are concerned, Apple already does dominate or will soon dominate the market (somehow?). Computer-wise, Apple really doesn't dominate jack, and it doesn't look like they will in the future either. To believe they will all-the-sudden take the PCs market with their repackaging of Mac OS X requires a true sheep. Viola! You have your sheep.

Yes, the new logo does look Aquaesque. I can't wait to use Apple's innovations on my commodity hardware. No, I'm not kidding. Thanks for funding R&D, Apple users. :)

Anyway...back to the topic at hand... I don't see that much difference between the "old" log and the "new" logo frankly -- certainly not enough to warrant an entire article. I don't see similar articles when MS update the "My Computer" -- oops, I mean the "Computer" icon...Not really that big a deal... And BTW: I use the Avant browser addon which I highly recommend. I know it uses the "core" IE engine, but it does seem to handle popups and other annoyances better than any combination of IE (with or without toolbars) and Firefox -- especially when you are looking for compatibility with some of the Banking sites... For better or worse, until everyone sticks to Web standards, we will all likely be stuck supporting multiple browsers.

im an AMIGA 500+ troll WIN = unreliable OSX = Nice Workbench = Premium bring back Amstrad you philasteins

One question for the Mac Fanboys.... Are you people (loosely speaking) even AWARE this is a Windows forum? We all know you love your Macs, and would have sex with them if you could, but really, just shut up and sod off to your Mac forums. You just make the lowest common denominator look even lower. **** off.

yawn. freakin logos. freaking computer geeks. freaking IE. freaking geeks talking about IE.

"I don't see that much difference between the "old" log and the "new" logo" This article wasn't about the logo.

All these apple fanboys are pathetic. I bought a Powerbook earlier this year and have NOT been blown away with the apple experience. I can't wait for a MACTEL because then I can run Windows Vista on a Mac properly. Windows is in my opinion far better than OS X, although OSX might look a liitle nicer for the moment.

And it's scandalous Cadillac doesn't offer OnStar for the '82 Eldorado - but them's the breaks ..

It comes as no suprise to me that they would do this. MS has been integrating IE code into it's Windows O/S Shell(s) since Windows 98se. Appearantly, they must think that the IE code makes a better file manager (Windows Explorer)and building the O/S and Application API's (IEXPLORER Office etc.) into one is a great concept. This is very appearant in XP and prior systems with Internet Explorer 6 installed. You can see this whenever installing "Windows Critical Updates" (Almost Daily) and seeing patches designed for IE issues affect the O/S Shell in Windows Explorer. Seperate Programs you think ?? NOT!! Also, I love the way MS keeps changing things to keep us experienced users confused. Such as XP's great tool that hides icons from the desktop and start menus. Boy, I don't know how I ever lived without that nifty little tech support generator. I suppose they call that progress but I always thought that computer operating systems and the programs that run on it were supposed to be separated by some protective layer between API and O/S. I believe that if microsoft integrate's anymore bells & whistles for the sake of inexperienced users convienence, then pandora's box of Mal-Ware's Worms and the Lowlife's that use them will indeed Regress the Internet into a place nobody will desire to tread. T.W. CDC

I have never seen a company rename so many evolutionary products. How is adding "Windows" to the beginning of the name easier? I think the marketing department is just so freakin' bored.

Windows--for playing videogames in your admin account while spyware/firewall/anti-virus/registry cleaner software runs in the system tray. Macs--for getting real work done.

I can copy and paste too: ""Welcome to 2001, Microsoft! We OS X users have every single feature Microsoft is currently stealing for Vista...but we don't need a 3ghz 512mb of RAM machine to run it! *snicker*" No you don't. More importantly though, features aren't what push products. Percieved benefits are. "Windows--for playing videogames in your admin account while spyware/firewall/anti-virus/registry cleaner software runs in the system tray." Man, if you had any technical credibility, you just blew it. Software doesn't "run" in the system tray. The system tray is just a place where programs can register special icons in. Software run through the CPU. The user-mode apps can interact with the system tray if they choose, but they sure don't run through it. I'm sorry, but I can't *honestly* believe you're a REAL Apple troll. You have to be some Windows guy trying to make Apple users look stupid. Nobody is this dumb. "Microsoft is currently stealing for Vista" Isn't it interesting how XP had built-in encryption and compression before Mac OS X did? Or how the "control panel" has a amazingly similar apperance to the one that Windows had already (when in category view). It's also fascinating how people trolled about Dashboard (stolen from StarDeck?). The only thing your OS has right now that I want is a Spotlight-ish feature. I don't spend too much time searching, but when I do, it would be nice to have fast searching built-in."

Here's another "crow" for you (whatever that means...): ""Windows--for playing videogames in your admin account while spyware ... runs in the system tray" Spyware has a tendancy to hide (e.g. not be obvious by putting an icon in the system tray). Looks like you're wrong again :P. Big surprise... "

I prefer Windows 2000 to XP, as I dont need to use Movie Maker, Media Player 10, SP2 firewall sucks, much prefer McAfee. And I dont need Bliss or Luna themes to conduct my business. So why have Microcrap abandoned Windows 2000 users by not porting IE7 to run on it.

If you don't need movie maker, can't you just delete it's folder and it's registry keys manually (I noticed for some reason it doesn't show up in the Add/Remove Windows Components)? Or would WFP prevent you from doing that? Bliss isn't much more than a desktop image. Luna can be disabled easily. ---------------------------- Have you given any thought to the Windows 2003 release? ---------------------------- "So why have Microcrap abandoned Windows 2000 users by not porting IE7 to run on it." Why would you want to use IE to begin with?

Sometimes I think that marketing gets carried away with themselves. Remember the change Microsoft made in calling Office that awkward name "Micrsoft Office System"? Have you ever heard anyone outside of MS Marketing refer to it that way? I haven't. I am guessing that this branding effort will be as pointless in the end. It will still simply be called IE or IE7.

The Zotob MS05-039 worm mentioned on Slashdot last Sunday may be the most recent virus that has gone global, hitting Windows 2000 desktops at CNN, ABC, the New York Times, and many others. The virus is spreading around the world rapidly as compromised systems become bots and propagate the worm, with reported outbreaks in Germany and China. InformationWeek has a decent article titled Zotob Proves Patching "Window" Non-Existent. Microsoft calls it a "low impact" threat and tells you What you should know about Zotob. Symantec has W32.Zotob.D removal instructions. Trend Micro thinks that this is a new, different worm altogether and says it is one of the fastest-spreading infections in history.

As someone who used be a MS supporter (like most of us are when we are new to computing and Windows) all I can think is now those of us to whom MSIE is an abomination and to whom an entire cottage industry supports with tools like XPLite, nLite and various inf scripts--many of whom have actually been migrating backwards towards earler OSes just for the ability to avoid MSIE altogether now have a new response when someone asks us why we're either: A) Moving to Linux, MacOS, B) Still runing our computers on the aging 9X series kernel (you'd be surprised what you can still do on 9X...WMP10 anyone?) or C) suddenly finding ourselves with something other than computing to do for a hobby (read that as not having the will or the time to yet again fix your spyware ridden machine)... Them: But WHY? Us: No, WIE... Heh... --iWindoze

Why doesn't MS support IE7 on Win2000? Because they want to make money. And why shouldn't they? I don't have a problem with Microsoft. I have a probem with Apple products. You can't even open a pdf in Safari without it crashing at least 50% of the time. Pathetic. Apple = polished pretty interface that doesn't work.

The "its only for Windows OS" thinking that speaks volumes about Micro$oft. I would like to have the ability to blow it away & reinstall without damaging the OS. -Ironhart

******* AWESOME. PAUL IS THE MOST GENIUS I KNOW. ARE YOU READY FOR TO DISS THE IPOD! I AM! ROCKS ON COMMANDOR IN CHIEFS (KASNSAS CITY)! I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE MET BEFORE - IS YOUR NAME FAT PIG? WHAT A GREAT TIME WE ALL ARE BEGINNING TO KNOW! APPLE SUCKS BIG TIME PENIS! APPLE IS A SORRY FOR EXCUSE TO COMPUTER! I HATE APPLE _ MICROSOFT IS WHAT IS RULES!