I hate that mindset. One company I really respect is Nokia, because when they decided to rip off the iPhone their CEO said so directly - he said something like

I hate that mindset. One company I really respect is Nokia, because when they decided to rip off the iPhone their CEO said so directly - he said something like "We know to steal something good if we see it." I'd much rather Nokia have innovated to begin with, but at least acknowledging that influence is something respectable. A flat Windows logo - no gradient, single-color blocks - would look incredibly nice, and it might manage to convey the message of an easier, faster new operating system. Complexity is never likable: even good complex things are things that on the surface would appear very simple.