Microsoft Logos: A Visual History

Microsoft has changed its logo a few times over the years. In 1987, they started using a logo often called the "Pac-Man Logo."

On August 23, 2012, Microsoft showed off a brand new company logo. This new logo showed that the company was focusing on a more modern, tile-based look. This style is used on Windows Phone, Xbox 360, Windows 8, and newer Office programs. The new logo also has four colored squares. These colors represent Microsoft's main products: blue for Windows, orange for Office, green for Xbox, and yellow for Bing. The logo also looks a bit like the start of an old commercial for Windows 95.

Microsoft logo history
1975–1980: The very first Microsoft logo.
1980–1982: The second Microsoft logo.
1982–1987: The third Microsoft logo.
1987–2012: The Microsoft "Pac-Man" logo.
2012–present: The current Microsoft logo.

Microsoft Software: Programs You Use

Microsoft is famous for its many software programs. These programs help people do all sorts of things on their computers and devices.

Windows: The Operating System

Microsoft Windows is an operating system. This is the main software that makes your computer work. It lets other programs run. Most desktop and laptop computers use Windows. Some tablet computers and a few smartphones also run Windows.
The newest version of Windows for home computers is Windows 11.
For computer servers, the latest version is Windows Server 2022.

Microsoft Office: Tools for School and Work

Microsoft Office is a set of programs for office tasks.
It helps people write documents with Microsoft Word.
You can make charts and graphs using Microsoft Excel.
You can create presentations with Microsoft PowerPoint.
You can send and receive emails with Microsoft Outlook.
Microsoft SharePoint is a tool for sharing and working together on documents.

Web Browsers and Search

Internet Explorer was a program that let people browse the Internet. In 2015, it was replaced by Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft also makes other internet programs. Many of these were once part of "Windows Live" services.
Microsoft Bing is an internet search engine. It helps you find things online.
Bing Maps shows you maps and directions.

Other Important Software

Microsoft BASIC was the very first product Microsoft ever made, back in 1975.
Xenix was an early operating system that Microsoft worked on in the late 1970s.
MS-DOS was another early operating system from 1981. It was used for older computers.
Microsoft has also bought and continued to develop popular programs like Minecraft.

Microsoft Services: Online Tools

Even though Microsoft is known for its software, the company also offers many useful online services.

Outlook.com is a webmail service. It was first called Hotmail when it started in 1996. You can use it to send and receive email, manage your calendar, and keep a list of contacts.
OneDrive is a file hosting service. It started in 2007 as "SkyDrive." It lets you upload files to a web server. Then you can get those files from different devices, like PCs and mobile devices.
Skype is a service for making calls and chatting online. It was not made by Microsoft originally. Microsoft bought the company that created it. Skype lets you make free phone calls over the Internet to other Skype users. You can also call landline phones for a small fee.
LinkedIn is a social networking service for people with professional jobs. Microsoft also bought this company. The site helps people share information about their jobs and skills. This helps employers find new people to hire.
MSN is a web portal where you can read news and find information. It started in 1995. MSN used to have an instant messaging service called MSN Messenger, but that is now part of Skype.
Bing is a search engine like Google. It used to be part of MSN. Bing is known for showing different cool images on its home page background every day.

Microsoft Hardware: Devices You Can Touch

Microsoft has also created many different types of hardware over the years. This includes computer accessories like mice, keyboards, and webcams.

Xbox: Gaming Consoles

The company makes the video game console called Xbox. It lets you play video games on your television.
Games were first on CDs, but now many games are downloaded from the Internet.
There have been several Xbox versions. The first Xbox came out in 2001. The Xbox 360 was released in 2005. The Xbox One came out in 2013.
In 2020, Microsoft launched the newest consoles: Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
With the Xbox 360, Microsoft introduced Xbox Live. This lets people play games online against others around the world.
Xbox has become very popular, selling over 150 million units. Microsoft is one of the three biggest companies that make video game consoles, along with Nintendo and Sony.

Surface: Microsoft's Own Computers

More recently, Microsoft started making its own PCs called the Surface.
The first Surface model was announced in 2012.
The Surface line now includes tablets and different types of laptops.
There's also an all-in-one PC called the Surface Studio and an interactive whiteboard called the Surface Hub.

Mobile Phones

In 2014, Microsoft bought the mobile phone part of Nokia, a company from Finland. This became Microsoft Mobile.
This deal included the Lumia family of smartphones, which used Microsoft's Windows Phone system.
From 2014 to 2016, Microsoft Mobile also made basic phones with the Nokia brand. Later, this part of the business was sold.