The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Apple reappears outside Microsoft HQ

Mutant logo appears in park

See what The Register's experts have to say on application security

The mysterious disappearance of Apple's Cupertino headquarters from MSN's new map service led to a veritable landslide of emails.

Some were kind enough to point out that MSN uses old satellite pictures taken before the Apple HQ was built. Some missed the joke and questioned our intelligence and parentage. We were also contacted by several concerned readers who had discovered their garages and even houses were missing from MSN maps.

But one eagle-eyed observer went one better. Andrew Stanley, for it was him, spotted a mutant Apple logo just up the road from Microsoft's Redmond headquarters. The logo, while clearly Apple-shaped, has undergone some startling changes. It is not a happy Apple. To see it for yourself just type "Microsoft, Redmond" into Google Maps and then choose the satellite image option.

The giant logo has been left out in a scruffy looking park and had a miserable grimace added to its face. Whether this was done by angry Microserfs or local kids is unclear at this stage. It could even be extreme marketing to make up for the disappearance of Apple headquarters.

Thanks to Reg reader Andrew Stanley for pointing this one out.®

Related stories

Vanishing HQs, trendy hearing aids and buying Office 2003
Microsoft's Earth deletes Apple HQ
MSN Virtual Earth

Increase your knowledge of the latest threats to your busines

Don’t Miss

Win a Samsung C6625!

Reg Lucky Draw Windows Mobile handsets up for grabs

Palm_Pre_001_SMIs your cameraphone an oxymoron?

Pic Review iPhone 3G v iPhone 3GS v Palm Pre

Vulture logo with head phonesWindows 7, Bing and security: Mr Ballmer regrets

Steve hopes Microsoft money can buy your love

Sign up, sign up for The Register IT security newsletter

Narrowcasting for the email classes