2013.03.12 Now for the reckoning.docVIP

Don’t be uglyThe web giant wants to be known for beauty as well as brainsWho designed the stubble?THIS time last year investors were salivating over Apple’s stock. Now they are rushing to get their hands on Google’s. On March 5th the internet firm’s share price, which has risen by almost a fifth since the start of the year, leapt past $800 for the first time. Google’s market capitalisation, which hit $274 billion on March 6th, is now around two-thirds of Apple’s, up from around one-third six months ago.Google’s attraction is not hard to fathom. It is minting money from its vast online-advertising empire. It is also spreading further into big new markets like online shopping. Its Android mobile operating system is winning millions of new customers. Android-powered smartphones and tablet computers have conquered numerous markets, including China’s, where a government report recently voiced concern that Google has too much influence over the country’s mobile industry.One reason Android is doing well is that its design has become slicker. A revised style guide for developers promotes bold typography, standardised action bars and card-like backgrounds on which data can be clearly displayed. Its fans say this is a big improvement. “People are now seeing Android design on a level playing field with what Apple is putting forward,” says Mark Wyszomierski of Foursquare, a location-based social network that recently released an Android app.Google’s makeover comes as tech firms are realising that smart design is a good way to reach—and to retain—mass audiences. Fast-growing start-ups such as Pinterest, a social network, have made looking sexy a priority. Bigger firms often tweak the look of their products. Facebook was due to unveil a redesign of its News Feed, which lets people track what their friends are up to, after The Economist went to press.What makes Google’s efforts so striking is that the firm has long had a reputation for caring far more about algorithms