5 of the most iconic wallpapers to ever ship in tech history

Wallpapers. We all know ’em, and we all use ’em. Whether we’re talking about smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, or even smartwatches, there’s nothing quite like an aesthetically pleasing backdrop to liven up a digital space. While many of us opt to replace stock wallpapers with photos of friends, family, partners, pets, and more, there’s something to be said about a solid default background image as well.

Over the years, a number of iconic wallpapers have been released by tech companies, whether it be alongside new operating system releases, or, in some cases, alongside new hardware products. Here are five of the most iconic digital backgrounds to have ever been shipped on a consumer tech product — these inclusions are so iconic, that you’re sure to remember at least a few of them with fondness.

5

Dandelion (2012)

Debuted on Samsung’s Galaxy SIII

Samsung has shipped its flagship Galaxy S smartphone line with a number of excellent wallpapers that have gone on to achieve icon status, though the one that always springs to mind for me is the Galaxy SIII’s Dandilion backdrop. With the Galaxy SIII, Samsung made a concerted effort to distance the physical design of its phone from that of the iPhone, leaning into a new “inspired by nature” aesthetic instead.

Externally speaking, Samsung’s newfound nature mantra assumed the form of a smooth, pebble-like chassis. On the software side, we were both blessed and cursed: while we had to suffer from several years of ear-grating bloops and bleeps throughout the TouchWiz skin UX, at least we were gifted an awesome wallpaper in the form of a dandelion in its seed dispersal phase.

4

Nexus Live Wallpaper (2010)

Debuted on Google’s Nexus One

Live wallpapers (that is, backgrounds that are animated or are video-based rather than photo-based) have been around in the desktop PC space for many years. However, it wasn’t until Google’s Android 2.1 Eclair release of Android that the feature hit mobile devices for the very first time.

Arguably, the most iconic Android live wallpaper of them all is known simply as the Nexus Live Wallpaper, and its identity is closely intertwined with that of the Nexus One smartphone circa 2010. Suitably matching Android’s then-current Holo interface design, the Nexus Live Wallpaper consisted of multicolored pixels slowly darting across the screen in every which way.

3

Hero (2015)

Debuted on Microsoft’s Windows 10

To coincide with the release of Windows 10 in 2015, Microsoft took it upon itself to create a hero wallpaper worthy of carrying such a moniker. The end result, as we all know, is a mesmerizing dark blue backdrop with a shining Windows logo dispersing light through its glassy panels.

Lesser known is the fact that this Windows 10 hero image is, in fact, a real photograph and not simply a CGI creation. According to GMUNK, the digital artist responsible for the now-iconic image, the creation process involved a live-action shoot, which necessitated the building of real Windows-logo-shaped window panels. While Microsoft later went on to release a brighter, lighter, revamped version of this iconic wallpaper in 2017, the original version remains downright ubiquitous the world over.

2

Water Droplets (2010)

Debuted on Apple’s iOS 4

Apple has a long and storied legacy when it comes to out-of-box wallpapers across its macOS, iPadOS, and iOS mobile operating systems. Several downright iconic backdrops immediately spring to mind, including the original Earth image that shipped with the first iPhone, and the clownfish image shown on stage during the iPhone’s debut presentation in early 2007. I also vividly remember the space images that shipped on the Mac back in the OS X days, and I know I’m not the only one who looks back fondly on this era.

However, it’s Apple’s water droplets backdrop that remains the most iconic in my eyes, owing to its simplicity, as well as its nostalgic association with the iPhone 4. In 2010, the iPhone 4 was a trailblazer. Aside from trouncing the competition from a fit-and-finish perspective, it also ushered in the era of the high-resolution Retina Display. Showing off every pixel in sharp detail was none other than this humble set of scattered water droplets, complete with a bluish-gray gradient to seal the deal.

1

Bliss (2001)

Debuted on Microsoft’s Windows XP

Arguably the most cherished and celebrated default wallpaper of all time, Bliss isn’t a mere backdrop — it’s a culturally significant piece of art. Popularized alongside the beloved Windows XP in 2001, the photo was initially taken by Charles O’Rear in 1996 in Sonoma County, California. Eventually, the rights to the image were purchased by Microsoft, ending the era of teal-colored Windows desktop backgrounds once and for all.

Bliss itself is a rather punchy image, with its rolling green hills contrasting with the bright cloud-filled sky above. It perfectly matches the default Luna aesthetic native to Windows XP, and it’ll likely remain the best-known digital wallpaper of all time for many, many years to come. Many have tried to recreate the magic of this photograph by returning to Sonomo County, but there’s something about the original photo’s composition that is simply blissful.