Windows 1.0 – blue is the colour
An “operating environment,” Windows 1.0 may have had an eye-catching ad featuring Steve Ballmer, but the design of the box was aimed squarely at business and featured the old Microsoft logo on a navy background.
Windows 2 (286 and 386 versions) – 80s stripes and snazzy desktops
Two versions for different PC variants, the Windows 2.0 boxes were also pretty dull but introduced typical 80s window blinds and images of the now-colourful Windows desktop.Note the new Microsoft logo, too.
Still on 5.25-inch disks notice, Windows 3.0 is now called a “graphical environment” – still running atop MS DOS of course. But isn’t the imagery still really, really dark and dingy? “Windows 3.0: underworld edition?
Ah that’s better. Scarily the best part of 20 years old, 3.1 made its debut in 1992 and together with Workgroups (see below) was a huge success. A cleaner box design resulted (albeit with that strange, spidery font), while it’s also the first time we see the Windows flag.
The Workgroups box suffered from a bit of font overload…
Wow! As well as upping the game in terms of the OS itself, Microsoft went all consumer on us for Windows 95′s packaging. Indeed, Microsoft’s subsequent reputation for putting too many messages on the box probably started here. Windows 95 still came on a floppy if you wanted it.
Windows NT – the night sky
The business-orientated NT version was the first fully 32-bit version of Windows and formed the basis for the Windows we still use today – all “home” versions after Windows Me (starting with Windows XP) were based on the more stable and secure NT codebase.
A development on the Windows 95 box but easier on the eye, the Windows 98 packaging continued the “too much information” era. Shame the box was so similar to the Windows 95 one that Microsoft had to stick a NEW VERSION! flash on it.
Apologies in advance, as you’ll now have to suffer two poor packaging efforts. Returning to white, Microsoft went back to basics. It’s a shame for Windows 2000, as it was a super OS.
Windows Me was Windows 98 with a few new bits from Windows 2000 and a renewed focus on media content. However, it was as rubbish as the box was dull.
The non-shoutiness of the Windows XP packaging was surprising given the quantum leap forward that Windows XP represented over Me. But it was clever design – the difference between the editions was clear and nowhere near as confusing as the myriad of Vista versions.
Nick White on the Windows Blog, announced the new packaging for Vista and Office 2007. “The packaging has been completely revised and, we hope, foreshadows the great experience that awaits you once you open it.” Hmmm. In a disappointing move environmentally, Microsoft moved to a clear plastic design. Blogger Long Zheng was more positive, calling it “holy freaking super deliciously awesome.”
Microsoft has simplified the design for Windows 7, with a cardboard outer and plastic inner. “The plastic case protecting the Windows 7 disk is lighter and is recyclable,” explains Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc writing on the Windows 7 blog. “The packaging itself has a 37 per cent weight reduction and the econometrics score has improved by 50 per cent over it’s predecessor.” Things would have been even better if there was no plastic though.
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