my (work-issued) macbook has a glowing apple logo on the back.
I get what you're saying though, I too prefer things a bit more understated.
You're missing the point. Apple are extremely good at balancing product and branding, and world leading in sober design. The apple is a universal symbol that anyone in the world can understand. My first encounter with that label was, just like Jobs, on The Beatles LP's.
Most PC laptops would be a better parallell to the cheap looking Wenger lettering, as they normally have their brand both on front and back in tacky chrome, with tacky stickers telling you it's got the latest "ZOOM 3000" processor, what OS it's running, etcetera.
Otherwise, were it not for the lettering, your reference to Apple is very well in place as the little red knife is equally iconic to any Swoosh shoes or iPod. The Wenger insignia perhaps even more so than Victorinox with it's more subtle, rounded square which is easier on the eyes compared to Vic's shield. The swiss Wenger cross also echoes the cross of a
first aid kit in a brilliant way, both functionally and semiotically.
All people I know who are not into knives don't say "Victorinox" or "Wenger". They say "Swiss Army Knife".
"Oh, great! You've got a swiss army knife". No matter what the actual brand is.
I think it is generally a bad idea to have latin alphabetic characters on objects. For the same reason I think it's a bad idea to use cyrillic, hebrew, logographic or arabic alphabets on stuff.
Victorinox and Wenger both make the legendary swiss army knife. They are both the real thing and they both carry the Swiss cross. They are the only ones allowed to do so, and it's that cross together with the red paint that is so iconic. Diluting it with anything else is nothing but stupid. The only rational reason I can see is if Victorinox, now Wenger's owner, wants the icon connotation for themselves, so that in 30 years time we'll be separating the two by calling them
"swiss army knife or Wenger". A very sad development in my view, as I think the red knife with the square logo really is one of the most iconic and beautiful consumer objects there is.
p.s. Some might roll their eyes, but the reason I started this thread and pasted my letter is mainly for your entertainment. It's a forum right?