Google Keeps it Simple

Google reverted their home page back to it's traditional spartan white back drop yesterday after users complained about colorful photos the search engine had adopted as a promotional gimmick. Google had apparently introduced the imagery to promote a new feature that allows users to personalize their search page with their own pictures. Or, perhaps to compete with Microsoft's Bing seach engine which likes to feature a different photo everyday.

Google users however weren't having it and complained in droves prompting the powers that be to bring back the plain white backdrop which apparently users have grown attached to.

There is something to be said after all, about keeping it simple. Sure a splash of color and a pretty picture can be nice. However when you see something every day sometimes you just want it to be easy on the eyes and uncomplicated.

This is why most of us drive cars that are grey, black, silver or blue and not art cars. You know what I'm talking about? Those crazy, wacky cars that are painted all kinds of different colors and have Lego pieces glued to them? Yes, those. Ha, ha, funny at first but then decidedly less so with each passing glance until the site of the thing becomes downright annoying.

Or remember the colorful iMacs that Apple launched back in the late '90s with Jeff Goldblum doing the voiceover in the commercials? If you're under the age of 25, you quite possibly don't. It's because no one really wants orange, red or blue computers either.

The fact is that most of stare at our computers and computer screens all day. When it gets right down to it, there's something comforting and settling about having a nice grey, silver or white laptop. Just as there is about Google having a white backdrop.

With web content flashing advertisements at us and even Yahoo selling space in our emails to Diet Coke, it's unsurprising that Google users cried shenanigans on pictures of sunsets, aritificial frogs or whatever else it is they pasted up there today.

Call me old school, but I like my car blue, my laptop grey and my search engine homepage pure and white as the driven snow.