Last but not least: The mother of all photos

Even hardcore Apple disciples should find this landscape shot familiar. That's right, it's the default wallpaper of Windows XP. The operating system that has been kept alive the longest and was only recently buried by Microsoft in tears. After almost 13 years (!), the still extremely numerous users no longer receive any updates. In contrast to the successor versions Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8, the age-worthy XP has many real friends. Friends who were actually quite satisfied with the functions and the interface and saw no reason to switch to the frowned upon Vista.

As a parting shot, Microsoft Netherlands tells the story behind the photo that many people have stared at for a decade without wondering how, where, what the landscape is all about. A (nice!) surprise: it is a real, unaltered photo. Taken by Charles O'Rear in Napa Valley, California with a Mamiya RZ67 on Fujifilm.

In the eight-minute film "The story behind the Wallpaper we'll never forget", the likeable older man tells what lies behind the recording. Namely, not Photoshop, as Microsoft employees bet seven years after the XP release. But the nature and material, which held the colors particularly well. In this region, O'Rear said, there is a certain time of year when the meadows are particularly green after the rainy season. Like every week, he was on his way to visit his girlfriend in the San Francisco region that Friday in January. He noticed the perfect view of the green hills and captured the moment. Microsoft purchased the image through its agent. Because the original negative was too valuable, couriers refused to transport it. Microsoft sent O'Rear airline tickets to deliver it in person. The rest is history. Microsoft did not fulfill his hopes of being allowed to provide a photo again for Windows 8. Instead, the company thanked him for the current occasion with this cinematic tribute. Late, but nice. (hae)