Scroogled

Will Oremus has a Slate article about the latest in the Microsoft v. Google war:

Recently, Microsoft unveiled a full line of anti-Google paraphernalia, including t-shirts, ballcaps, and coffee mugs with insignia such as Scroogled and Keep calm while we steal your data (photo). Pointed, yes. Subtle, not so much.
Microsoft now has a blog post about the apparel line, which they're calling the Scroogled Store, and a Microsoft spokesperson got back to me by phone. Here's what he said:

What we've found is that this Scroogled campaign has struck a chord with consumers. They really are concerned with the way Google treats them and their privacy. Hundreds of thousansd of people have signed a petition, and millions have visited the website. The t-shirts and the mugs are just a way for people to express their concerns with Google in a different, but sort of fun, way. 

I also asked Google for comment, and the company's press people replied by email with a brief barb that suggests they're rather enjoying this:

Microsoft's latest venture comes as no surprise; competition in the wearables space is really heating up.

I compared Microsoft's scramble for the moral high ground to a beaten sports team claiming a "moral victory". To stick with the sports analogies, Google's statement strikes me as the equivalent of responding to a rival's taunt by smirking and pointing at the scoreboard. In the wearable-technology category, that scoreboard right now reads Google 1, Microsoft 0.
Of course, the game isn't over just yet. Popcorn, anyone?

Rico says it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of whiners... (But the shirt is funny.)