Microsoft is building a store in Legacy Village on the East side of Cleveland. Which also has an Apple store.
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Microsoft Planning 75 New Retail Stores to Take on Apple
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Not sure if your comment was aimed at me...but I haven't seen a BSOD in about 15 years and I've been using XP Pro, Home, and Win 2003 since they all came out...before then it was Win2000 and a few old WinNT 4.0 boxes in the 90s. I also have a Mac Mini that runs pretty well.
What is this new technology that Apple provides? Is it quantum computing? Do the machines run on water? Do the machines cost 1/10th of a PC?
Yeah...I haven't seen those headlines either.
Herein lies the issue. "Windows versions" I personally love there is only ONE version (save OS X Server) of OS X. How easy is that? Apple can focus on advancing a single OS, rather than an OS, and all the other diluted versions.
I think they're doing it right.
I love when people make up stuff just to say they are above it. Your making me ROFL just reading your post. Oh and you contradict your self with PC cost and no BSOD really never new cheap beyond normal hardware was so good.
Really? Like what things have they done right in the last 5-9 years, name one? Last time I checked Windows XP came out in 2001, and they created the Xbox; both of which had more flaws than Firestone tires, ie red rings of death and service packs...
MS should just fire everyone that still thinks they have good products and hire people who have brains.
That's not what the one I saw looked like. The one I saw was a damned near perfect carbon copy of the Apple Store a few doors down.
And where is MS supposed to put the pcs?...on the ceiling?
I agree that the cleanliness and unclutteredness looks like an Apple store...but MS is going to sell a select set of items in their store...they will not be the giant Best Buys or Staples of the world selling stuff from every vendor in the world.
Therefore, with MS hand picking what they sell (Apple sells what?...3 laptop models and 1 desktop model and 1 power desktop...then 1 iPhone model and 2-3 iPod models...and 1 iPad model for a total of about 10 different "things" Apple sells) and likely it will also try to keep the store simple to navigate compared to the giant Bestbuys.
Similar...yes. Copy? No way. You want MS to have no windows and black rugs and orange walls and crappy plastic tables? It's not a flea market.
So you like Microsoft, but are you just ignoring that Microsoft hired Apple's retail designer, and the output of that designer working for Microsoft is essentially identical to the Apple Store? Down to the tables, layout, etc.? That's why it's being called copying. It's not the only way to design a store, certainly, but MS just can't come up with an original thought since 1990's.
It's not illegal, just further evidence of Ballmer stupidity.
Well, the nearest one to me is St Louis but man do they need one in Des Moines Iowa (Just so I can go and look and see for myself) how much of a rip off it is.
Witness
I was in Mall of America in Minneapolis one Sunday in June. A Microsoft store is right opposite an Apple store, I think it's one of their first ones and we saw some pics of it on here already.
Apple Store:
I hand counted nearly 30 staff, all busy serving customers, and even customers in the queue waiting next to be served. There is one staff with an iPad there specifically for directing staff to people in the queuing system waiting. The store was full of people.
Microsoft Store:
Hand counted 10 staff at most, mostly idle. 2 or 3 staff standing right at the door waiting to greet incoming customers but there aren't many. So 2 of them found themselves spare time to have a game of bowling on the Kinect by the shop window.
The only hardware they sell really is the Kinect.
All the laptops there have a price tag too, but i was wondering if they really sell them? And all the Win Phone 7 phones mostly costs $0.99 with a contract.
I also found it quite unnecessary every product spec tag, they listed manufacturer, ram, camera etc, but also operating system, but they're all the same OS in the whole shop (obviously), so what's the point?
Oh, and there's only ONE staff at the Answer Bar, dealing with ONE customer, along the whole wide bar, and noone waiting at the bar. In fact the whole store was pretty empty for pretty much the whole day.
So, why opening 75 more stores like that? More for making a presence and marketing image than actually making a profit from the stores i guess.
I was in Mall of America in Minneapolis one Sunday in June. A Microsoft store is right opposite an Apple store, I think it's one of their first ones and we saw some pics of it on here already.
Apple Store:
I hand counted nearly 30 staff, all busy serving customers, and even customers in the queue waiting next to be served. There is one staff with an iPad there specifically for directing staff to people in the queuing system waiting. The store was full of people.
Microsoft Store:
Hand counted 10 staff at most, mostly idle. 2 or 3 staff standing right at the door waiting to greet incoming customers but there aren't many. So 2 of them found themselves spare time to have a game of bowling on the Kinect by the shop window.
The only hardware they sell really is the Kinect.
All the laptops there have a price tag too, but i was wondering if they really sell them? And all the Win Phone 7 phones mostly costs $0.99 with a contract.
I also found it quite unnecessary every product spec tag, they listed manufacturer, ram, camera etc, but also operating system, but they're all the same OS in the whole shop (obviously), so what's the point?
Oh, and there's only ONE staff at the Answer Bar, dealing with ONE customer, along the whole wide bar, and noone waiting at the bar. In fact the whole store was pretty empty for pretty much the whole day.
So, why opening 75 more stores like that? More for making a presence and marketing image than actually making a profit from the stores i guess.
Wyoming is the new Colorado apparently? Way to go Microsoft!
Did you Bing! Map that location? Ha
Did you Bing! Map that location? Ha
Again, MS sells software...and not just OSes. Win7 has been out for 2 years and had great reviews. I actually was forced to switch from XP Pro (which I ***LOVE***) to Win7 and I have to say, after 10 days, I really do like it. Some things like the radical Windows Explorer is still taking some time to get used to but nothings perfect.
Office continues to sell trillions of copies...on PC and Mac.
SQL Server and Server class Windows continue to sell like mad.
MS also has lots of business software like Sharepoint that do very well.
I don't follow MS news like some may do. We all know Vista was bad. But other than that, it's not like MS is losing software sales left and right.
If you were the CEO of MS (and knowing that you are a software company)...what would you improve? Apple controls everything (as I stated in an earlier post)...they can improve the OS, software/suite integration, hardware, hardware offerings, applications, etc. MS can only improve (for the personal consumer) the OS and MS Office. And MS cannot churn out a new OS every year.
maybe MS store could work:
1.warranty center to fix xbox 360/windows phone
2.special discount/incentive if bought from MS store vs online or 3rd party
3.since MS will have store, they can provide a custom MS built PC back by their own warranty
4.selling Apple's Clones
1.warranty center to fix xbox 360/windows phone
2.special discount/incentive if bought from MS store vs online or 3rd party
3.since MS will have store, they can provide a custom MS built PC back by their own warranty
4.selling Apple's Clones
That said, who cares, I have to travel from Citrus County 85 miles north of Tampa, to get to an Apple Store, since I am frequently there due to my business,Citrus Airport Shuttle,I have no problems,spending wait times in the
store.I find the staff very knowledgeable, never had any problem getting problems cleared up with my computers,AND they allow me to drool on all the latest and greatest. In short, it is a pleasurable stop, one I look forward to.All the above will never happen to me at a MS store. Apple people know their OS and their Computers, each person at a MS will never be well versed in all flavors of MS powered brands.I could be wrong, but it's just playing KETCHUP,it ain't HEINZ, and it just isn't good enough.
No Sale
I have an MS Store less than 10 miles from my job and I've been there 3 times. Each time was only to laugh about how similar their stores were to Apple's and how desperate they appear to be to mimic everything Apple's done.
I'm more interested in what the numbers look like. Are they really doing that well that they can justify opening more stores? And where are these stores in comparison to Best Buy? I can't imagine these stores doing very well with a Best Buy within 5 miles.
Also, Microsoft doesn't have any "event-worthy" products. There's no new iPad or MacBook Air to increase foot traffic. Overall I just don't see the point. Similar to the I'm a Mac campaign they should be investing more money in making a better OS than pouring it down the drain of retail.
I have an MS Store less than 10 miles from my job and I've been there 3 times. Each time was only to laugh about how similar their stores were to Apple's and how desperate they appear to be to mimic everything Apple's done.
I'm more interested in what the numbers look like. Are they really doing that well that they can justify opening more stores? And where are these stores in comparison to Best Buy? I can't imagine these stores doing very well with a Best Buy within 5 miles.
Also, Microsoft doesn't have any "event-worthy" products. There's no new iPad or MacBook Air to increase foot traffic. Overall I just don't see the point. Similar to the I'm a Mac campaign they should be investing more money in making a better OS than pouring it down the drain of retail.
Yeah 7 is not bad, but compared to leopard, or even snow leopard! There is nothing to compare, every little trick they added to 7 I have been able to do on my Mac from day one
apple:Saved in 2007), and I still can do most of the good stuff. Point is they have nothing to sell, and no business owner is going to walk into a MS store and go hey I need 15 desktops, servers, cables, the whole lot to open a new office; they will call staples, cdw, or whatever other source they want and get it cheaper. MS is loosing customers by the thousands that would never think about firing up a PC at home, and eventually the business world will make the change too. MS could churn a new OS every year, what the hell else are they doing?? Its not like they are actually making anything but that right??
Hmmn, wee---eell...
I had a white Macbook for over three years, and I then moved up to a 13" Unibody MPB. I had replaced the original 80 GB Macbook hard drive with a Samsung 250GB drive, myself. As the battery was on it's last legs, I gave the MB to a friend, for her son to have, as he wanted a laptop. She bought a new Apple battery for it, and all was well. for about a month.
Then the dreaded ? symbol appeared on startup. Tried all the standard tricks, but no dice. She took it to the local Apple store, and...they replaced the hard disk AND the keyboard, and installed MacOSX, free, gratis, for nothing. Even though it was now nearly 4 years old. So she got it back, almost as new. No apple warranty. just replaced all that for nothing.
I have nothing but good things to say about the Apple Genius Bar!
YMMV, i guess.
The couple Microsoft stores that I've been in felt like someone artificially inseminated a Sony Style Store with the frozen sperm from a Gateway Store and locked the progeny in a closet with a box of tissues until after puberty... resulting in a retail experience that was more than a little awkward.
So what should MSFT be doing other then DIE MSFT DIE????
Concentrate on their products, try to make them as bullet proof as possible,like
, try to give the best customer experience, like , you know do everything like , copy,,and when you finally get it, you won't be ,cus only Has SJ,and when he is gone,a hand picked replacement to carry on the dream,will do just that.STEVE BALLMER, ISN'T STEVE JOBS, and neither are their visionsHmmmn..at work saw 3 BSODs last week, admittedly we run XP (that's the corporate world for you!) but that was out of the 200 workstations we support.
And most of us support staff run Macs at home.
OK, if by "5+ years" you mean 5+15. Call it inertia or stasis, it's a powerful force against change and innovation. They make their money by leaving things pretty much the way they are. As far as Apple and the business sector, Apple makes billions there too, not nearly as many, and they don't really care. So what?