Free linkbait idea: somebody should make a few mockups of Google taking "design inspiration" from iconic elements of other famous brands. Google redone in wall-to-wall Coke Red with a cursive logo. Google with the O's replaced by the Obama logo and a stylized flag background. Google over a silohuette of a twenty-something typical along on a keyboard with stylish headphones on.

You could title this All Of These Are Better Ideas Than Taking Design Direction From Microsoft. (I say this purely for branding -- I kind of like the Bing look myself.)