the iphone wha???

I just heard about this today. What a copout. Apple, my love still abounds for you, but this is low...this is really, really low.

The following is pulled directly from an article posted today on ComputerWorld:

"Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will begin selling Apple Inc.'s iPhone later this month, employees at several stores in the discount retail chain said today.

Wal-Mart's corporate headquarters, however, would not confirm that the company will sell the iconic iPhone. A spokeswoman said only that "we are not making an official announcement at this time."

Over the weekend, reports surfaced claiming that Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in U.S., would soon sell one or more models of the iPhone. On Saturday, for example, the San Jose Mercury News cited managers and employees at stores in Northern California who said that they were undergoing sales training and that the iPhone would be on store shelves either shortly before or right after Christmas."

Read the full article here.

...huh?

So, Walmart has a new logo. I stumbed across this piece of news today when I received my July edition of the Graphic Design USA newsletter. According to the press release:

"Walmart has revamped its logo as part of an “ongoing evolution” of the company. A terse official announcement states: “This update to the logo is simply a reflection of the refresh taking place inside our stores and our renewed sense of purpose to help people save money so they can live better.”

Ha. I disagree with all of the above.

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Walmart. My husband and I stopped shopping there a little over a year ago and have yet to regret it.  I searched Google to find out more about this "updated" logo, and here are a few of the things I found on Brand New.

The design community is not shy. Release a brand new logo and you'll find out what they think faster than you can ...er.... snap.

"IT'S SO HUGE!!!

What is up with that giant asterisk?

But really, this is not Wal-Mart. This is K-mart, Apple, and Sprint churned through a meat grinder. This would be nice for a competitor of Foto-Mat (I guess they're not around anymore). The breezy blue and sunny spurt would look nice on little huts sitting in the middle of a parking lot... at Wal-Mart!

This makes me aware of how appropriate the former "big box" logo was: "We're Wal-Mart, we're big, and we're gonna sell you everything." And with the 'MADE-IN-USA' star-as-hyphen.... "Oh yeah, and *BAM*, we're patriotic, too."

So the new one is kinder, gentler, but very inappropriate."

"It's like a ring of golden cannons, all aimed at small-town America. The blue, of course, represents the depression Wal-Mart employees cannot afford to medicate."

"Loading... Loading... Loading..."

"At least they are sort of practicing what they preach.

save money = logo for $59.95 live better= Director of Marketing uses extra $100K left over from branding update to go to Aruba."

"Don't block the big box.

This Walmart "thang"... oh dear, wishing it was April 1st…clicking my heels together...there's no place like home, there's no place like home...it's still there...the best part is the way it was "unveiled" like a cheap floozy in a "made in china" polyester track suit wrapped up in a cheesy, bad, rendering...very fitting actually. Actually launching this thang properly would have called even more attention to the complete and utter unoriginality of it all."

And my personal favorite:

Now when I look at the new Walmart logo, the only thing I see is Mmmmm. Candy Corn.