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Microsoft Signs Leases to Open Retail Stores in Arizona and California

miketcool said:
It has nothing to do with worry, and everything to do with investors.
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It has everything to do with worry. Have you seen the numbers on college campuses? Sure baby boomers like their PCs, but Gen X and Yers are choosing Macs at eery opportunity. The decisions made in college are going to be lifelong lifestyle choices and MS doesn't find a way to curb it, the next generation is going to raise their kids on Mac. The only way MS stays in this is corporate IT, but those jobs are getting handed down too and eventually someone is going to say in a meeting, "We spend so much money on IT and computer repair, what would the long term savings be to go Mac?"
 
Once again, another idea that Apple already is doing gets followed by Microsoft. Why can't MS come up with their own ideas. A brick n mortar store is nothing new but once Apple takes the plunge and has success then poor un-innovative and idea-copying Microshaft has to follow Apple's lead. FAIL.

The reason Apple is successful with the retail stores is because they had fun and innovative products that are selling. There's nothing MS has that will make people flood their stores like the Apple store. The Xbox can be bought at damn near 7-11.
 
miketcool said:
SonyStyle runs in a way that makes it feel like it is an arrogant BestBuy without little to no interaction with sales people.
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On the other hand, I liked the Sony stores because the atmosphere (at least the one nearest me) was more like a high-end electronics shop than a place like Best Buy. Where you develop working relationships with the sales people. And, you can negotiate, rather easily even:

(after a few minutes of discussion about a camcorder)
Me: "... ok, so I'm interested. Can you better than $1299?"
Salesperson: *checks computer* "I can sell it to you for $1238."
Me: "Throw in a couple of tapes?"
Salesperson: "Sure."
Me: "Great, we have a deal."

Getting a deal at Best Buy is like pulling teeth. And a month after the transaction I received a thank-you card in the mail from the salesperson, hoping I was satisfied with the camera.
 
I'll have to check out the Mission Viejo location since it is in my backyard. I wonder how close the storefronts will be. It will be interesting to see the store layout and such. This announcement must also mean that Microsoft will be rolling out new intriguing products because I don't now how anyone could get excited about purchasing an operating system or computer peripherals such as mice and keyboards.
 
GREAT! Now I can do the following:
(1) Return my TWO HP Pavilion tablets that HP claims burnt out the wireless and dvd/cd rom controllers because Windows "made the processor run exceptionally hard" thus "taxing the fan beyond its capacity resulting in excessive heat".
(2) Return my 2 year old custom-built desktop that suffered from two consecutive crashes due to Windows Update software updates that conflicted with my power supply thus causing blue screens of death.
(3) Deliver a bill for the last year's worth of lost productivity due to viruses that got through the AV resulting in the need to format c:\ (or do I go to the AV store?).
(4) Return the nine peripheral devices that stopped working when I bought the new machines with Vista, machines that the manufacturers were not allowed by Microsoft to install XP on.

Except for (4) that was just 2008.
 
Wow, a store that will sell what? A whole bunch of computers that aren't made by Microsoft but have Windows on them. Oh, and the Zune and Xbox. Maybe throw in a couple cell phones with WinMobile. That should be a big bag of FUN.
 
In my neck of the woods

Funny, I live about 4 miles from the Shops in Mission Viejo where they plan on putting one of the stores. In fact, I bought my 12" Powerbook G4 from the Apple store there.

There aren't any vacant spots within the immediate vicinity of where the Apple store is located, so I'm betting it'll either be on the first floor ( is on 2nd floor) or the opposite end of the mall.
 
Hardware

One big reason this won't work: Microsoft doesn't sell the computers their OS runs on. They're going to get swarmed with customers who have hardware problems and those customers will not be happy when they get turned away at the bar.
 
Stella said:
I'm looking forward to these microsoft stores - it will encourage Apple to only improve their stores more.. which are already very good.

As they say, competition is good.
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The call of the Competition-Will-Make-Apple-Amazinger geek. How about, another company looking to enhance usability and customer satisfaction will benefit US. I could give a rats behind what competition may or may not do. What if it makes Apple even more power hungry and controlling over things, and less open? I am just excited to see that another offering is getting better for ME the consumer, who is tired of being screwed over in the name of competition.
 
uberamd said:
Repeat after me: "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share." "It's not just about market share."
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repeat after me, its all about market share its all about market share its all about market share.

Who doesn't strive for market share? Seriously? You think apple is ok with their market share and position in their space? naive
 
HLdan said:
Once again, another idea that Apple already is doing gets followed by Microsoft. Why can't MS come up with their own ideas. A brick n mortar store is nothing new but once Apple takes the plunge and has success then poor un-innovative and idea-copying Microshaft has to follow Apple's lead. FAIL.
Click to expand...

Yeah because Sony never had stores before Apple.

Oh yeah, and who copied who by moving from PPC to Intel to use x86 ISA?

Anyone?
 
The first stores' fall opening comes at an opportune time for Microsoft, which is launching Windows 7 on October 22.

Unless Wiindows 7 is still mired by the Vista aftertaste... C'mon you businesses and john q. public, buy Window 7... it's Vista "done" right! Yeah, should be interesting.

Will anyone be there with a counter and report back on the Grand Opening... I would love to know the following....

How many came and visit the store and out of those, how many placed an order for something?

Inquiring minds want to know!:rolleyes:
 
xIGmanIx said:
repeat after me, its all about market share its all about market share its all about market share.

Who doesn't strive for market share? Seriously? You think apple is ok with their market share and position in their space? naive
Click to expand...

I don't think Apple wants to have a huge market share that badly. To have 90%, Apple would need to sell those cheap netbooks, low end systems, and get into markets they don't want to be in. So yeah, I think they are content making record profits like they currently do.
 
HUGE gamble....

This is a massive gamble on Microsoft's part... Let's assume that it doesn't work. MS will pump money to keep these stores afloat. And when they close, for the first time MS will have a public display of its failure. This is what could be most damaging to the business. A shuttered Windows store is going to damage their reputation on a massive scale.

Did you notice that these stores are going in Mac-heavy states about as far from Redmond as you can get?
 
notjustjay said:
On the other hand, I liked the Sony stores because the atmosphere (at least the one nearest me) was more like a high-end electronics shop than a place like Best Buy. Where you develop working relationships with the sales people. And, you can negotiate, rather easily even:

(after a few minutes of discussion about a camcorder)
Me: "... ok, so I'm interested. Can you better than $1299?"
Salesperson: *checks computer* "I can sell it to you for $1238."
Me: "Throw in a couple of tapes?"
Salesperson: "Sure."
Me: "Great, we have a deal."

Getting a deal at Best Buy is like pulling teeth. And a month after the transaction I received a thank-you card in the mail from the salesperson, hoping I was satisfied with the camera.
Click to expand...

BestBuy is a dirty, big boxed whore when it comes to dealing. I'm not knocking the SonyStyle, I always strolled through it when I was at the mall, they had a lot of things to touch. It sits right across from the Apple Store and the two are polar opposites. I never saw anyone buy anything from there, I never bought a thing. It was really just a cool, high tech gallery to drool over.

I will take into consideration, the haggling. I used to be able to haggle at the Apple Store, not so much anymore.
 
uberamd said:
I don't think Apple wants to have a huge market share that badly. To have 90%, Apple would need to sell those cheap netbooks, low end systems, and get into markets they don't want to be in. So yeah, I think they are content making record profits like they currently do.
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and i think you both agree neither you nor I have any viability into their strategic growth plan or where they are taking their future revenues. Who knows what it takes to upgrade their market share, but its not like mircosoft is not making any revenue either.
 
Rot'nApple said:
The first stores' fall opening comes at an opportune time for Microsoft, which is launching Windows 7 on October 22.\Will anyone be there with a counter and report back on the Grand Opening...
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Discount Windows 7 and give me a crappy, made-in-china, door prize, and I'm there. After all, everything in the Apple Store is made-in-china, aside from packaging. Might as well copy the entire experience right?
 
miketcool said:
I used to be able to haggle at the Apple Store, not so much anymore.
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This is a good thing? I find haggling annoying, as a business owner and a consumer. I have worked hard to give my customers the best price for the best product and when they come to me and try to save $20 it tells me that they don't value my product and all they care about is price. I'm not a value-leader in my market but if they want quality video production at a fair price they can get it here.

Same goes for Apple. As long as the product is quality, I'll pay what they ask. They've earned at least that much trust.
 
miketcool said:
Discount Windows 7 and give me a crappy, made-in-china, door prize, and I'm there. After all, everything in the Apple Store is made-in-china, aside from packaging. Might as well copy the entire experience right?
Click to expand...

I know right? Why should we not support microsofts sweat shop and just Appples? Personally, i can't stand a majority of the folks that make up this demographic of users (myself included :D) so i tend to avoid stores like apple regardless of their proven value
 
Really?

In Snobsdale? Those people are the anti-laptop-hunters. They buy stuff 'cuz it's purdy.

Big miss on that one. Should have been in a less affluent area.
 
Don't anyone try to gloss over the fact that George Blankenship was in charge of creating the Apple Store for Steve Jobs. It's not like he was head of Gap Inc. strategy for their stores in the late 90s. Come to think of it, the Apple Store in no way resembles the Gap. Whitewashed walls, brightly lit, natural wood finishes. Apple ripped off the Gap, and we think M$ is the only one in the business of copying...
 
miketcool said:
Come to think of it, the Apple Store in no way resembles the Gap.
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Oh, yah Sarcasm! Real original!!!

These decisions (white walls, wood floors) are all out of millions and millions of dollars worth of research. Gap took their ideas from the high end stores on Michigan Ave and Rodeo Drive. What Apple did was put computer products in that setting.
 
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