The new Windows 10 wallpaper may not reach Bliss' popularity, but it sure is awesome.

There are many odd things a company like Microsoft has been known for, over the past few decades, but few would have believed one of the most notable accomplishments would be the popularity of its desktop wallpaper photo.

When Windows XP was introduced to the masses in 2001, over 14 years ago, it shipped with a default wallpaper titled “Bliss”, which became one of the most iconic photographs, worldwide. Bliss was originally shot amidst wineries, in the California county of Sonoma, by Charles O’Rear in 1996, with a medium format camera, and was featured on nearly 90% of desktop PCs across the world, and if we believe the latest numbers, it still is being stared at by a large number of hardcore fans today.

The popularity of Bliss was not part of any clever or expensive marketing strategy. It simply happened, and no one really expected it to be as relevant to the tech world as it eventually became.

While something so iconic and simple is hard to beat, Microsoft is definitely giving it the old “college try”, by hiring motion graphics genius Bradley G. Munkowitz, whose notable work included the holographic effects in Tron Legacy, and Oblivion, as well as a hefty body of work with international brands.

If we were to guess Munkowitz’s vision, the Windows 10 logo, recreated by shining a projector light, as well as various types of lasers, through a translucent pane of glass, represents a threshold, or a portal, through which the new operating system is passing, as it’s being rebuilt, from the ground up.

The process of creating the new default wallpaper is a visual treat, as Munkowitz’s team, assembled in San Francisco, experiments with different ways to paint and shape light in three dimensions.

On July 29th, millions of users worldwide will likely receive a free upgrade to Windows 10, on their existing Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 systems. Will this mass upgrade dethrone Bliss as the most popular desktop wallpaper of all times?