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Microsoft Planning 75 New Retail Stores to Take on Apple

Yamcha said:
Agree, there are clearly a lot of fan boy responses. I think Microsoft Windows is a pretty great OS, It's not Windows fault there are so many noobs who don't know how to use it.. =/

Anyway without Windows we wouldn't be so far, PC's & Microsoft are always a step ahead in terms of hardware & new technologies, there is support for DirectX 11, OpenGL 4.0, Crossfire & SLI (dual & quad gpu) technologies, even hybrid crossfire which means you can mismatch video cards.. Just recently AMD announced APU's, which is an accelerated processing unit.. And well Apple has none of the above, they don't even have support for OpenGL 4.0 yet..

With Mac OS there is no scaling when using dual GPU.. you can only hook up multiple monitors, thats nothing =/.. Where as on the Windows side you can hook multiple graphics cards and typically get double the performance..
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hmmm...article is about Microsoft opening retail stores that clearly are following Apple's retail strategy.

How about educating all these fan boys about how Microsoft's retail strategy is a step ahead of Apple's retail strategy? Or how it's not Microsoft's fault that people don't know how to buy Microsoft products at regular computer stores because they're just newbs who don't know how to shop?
 
Blu Reel said:
The battery in my MacBook Pro 17" began to show signs of the expanding battery problem. My laptop was out of warranty by a couple of years so I just let it go. It eventually expanded to the point of separating the battery case into pieces. It basically opened the sealed case. I brought the battery in to the Genius Bar and the guy gave me a replacement battery free of charge.
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I had the exact same experience with my battery. Genius Tech said "You impregnated your battery!"
 
The Economist said:
It's been a while since they (Microsoft) first opened their revolutionary and innovative retail stores. They didn't only copy Apple's stores design, but they also copied the formula in every possible way. (Just look at some pictures of their stores to see what I mean)

I found it ridiculous back then, and I still do to this day.

Just another "me too" strategy from Microsoft.
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Did you know that Microsoft opened their first retail store before Apple did? Apple then copied them by opening their own store(s).
 
God, even the map of the future stores is hideous -- this is a multi-billion dollar company and it's copy looks like it was designed for a bake sale.

But I guess it makes sense because everything they put out is ****.
 
How sad is it that the only thing I'd want to buy from Microsoft is an XBOX? I can get one of those at Best Buy, so what's the point??
 
I haven't even bothered to walk into the one across from the Apple store at the Mall of America in MN. There is just nothing there for me to buy as I don't use M$ Products outside of work.
 
Opening a store (or 75 of them) is not enough. Quoting Bertrand Serlet, "It's still Windows." If Microsoft can design a store worth going into then I'll go in. If Microsoft makes a product worth buying for me as a consumer (they still do adequately well in the business/enterprise market), then I'll buy it. It's not the actual store that matters, it's the overall customer experience. Hence why I jumped ship to Macs about 6 years ago.

I'm not a fanboy, I just like to spend my money wisely.
 
ECUpirate44 said:
Eh I dont know how successful that's going to be. Unless Microsoft can mimic the feel and atmosphere of an Apple store, they have no chance of being as successful. Microsoft doesn't have that one product that catches peoples eye like the iPad, iPhone, or Mac.

It reminds me of when Gateway attempted stores years ago.
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I could point out that before Apple open its first store the Gateway argument was made.

It depends how it is done. They have software, 360, computers and I expect WP7 is going to be a big part of the stories.
 
The existing stores are losing money, so now MS wants to double down on their losses? Makes no sense.
 
I've been to the current one in Oak Brook, IL. It's actually kinda cool. Of course, it looks like a knock-off Apple Store, but the screen that runs across the whole store is pretty neat.

Also, the ginormous 100''+ screen in the back for playing Child of Eden on Kinect was sweet! :D
 
Apple always puts up the big black screen to keep people from seeing the store until it is complete. Microsoft can put up a big blue screen! :D
 
To me, imo, they dont make sense. They dont specialize in the same solutions and services Apple provides.
I mean they COULD, if they put together Microsoft hardware aside from XBOX and peripherals.
But the point of the Apple retail store was more than just a store to sell crap, it was a gathering point for apple enthusiasts and solutions. So it makes more sense for that than just a half-assed gimmick.

If they can provide actual Solutions and services then the store will be successful, otherwise most people can goto any local tech shop to get much better solutions.
 
lilo777 said:
Did you know that Microsoft opened their first retail store before Apple did? Apple then copied them by opening their own store(s).
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And thats why there are 350 apple stores now and 11 Microsoft stores?
Which one succeeded and which one failed? Now which one is trying to copy the other's success? Microsoft's problem is they don't really have anything to sell to the average consumer, most people are so bad with computers they have never even heard of microsoft or windows, they just know it is a dell, hp computer :p with internet explorer 6 on it.. But because apple does hardware and software Apple has much more brand appeal to the average consumer.
 
New CEO or not, I really don't know how Microsoft can ever compete with Apple at their level. They really should just focus on server enterprise offerings, Office, and their Xbox products. Microsoft could really just focus on a business only OS and strip out all that consumer stuff out of Windows 7 and beyond.
 
Apple Store, Microsoft Store??

redmond-photocopiers.jpg
 
Can you imagine the queues at the Support Desk

Everyone will be coming in with viruses destroying their machines, the general slowness of the Windows OS after a year. It'll be great for Windows OEMs, since the sales team will advise a new purchase.
 
lilo777 said:
Did you know that Microsoft opened their first retail store before Apple did? Apple then copied them by opening their own store(s).
Click to expand...

WHAT? If you're talking about the MS Store on campus, that was an employee only store!

MS just opened their first store a couple years ago. It's pretty public knowledge. :rolleyes:
 
I drive by a Microsoft Store every day on my way to work but I still haven't been in it (I guess it's still there). I bought my copy of W7 Pro from B&H, why would I want to go into a Microsoft Store?
 
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