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Microsoft Targeting Apple Stores With New Retail Store Concept
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Uhhh...I disagree. Having Microsoft in the mix makes Apple products look better for the money. It's always good to have a piece of crap to compare to when shopping.
iSee
macrumors 68040
Wah?
If they are just opening a handful of vanity stores, that's one thing. But if they are going to open up more than that, they better focus on selling. Retail locations are expensive so if you aren't moving product you are going to lose a lot of money fast.
It's all well and good to invest in a platform to promote your products and educate customers about them. But will you really get that much traffic into your location if people don't come in to buy? I think they have to try to create a great buying experience or they won't have many visitor to promote to.
If they are just opening a handful of vanity stores, that's one thing. But if they are going to open up more than that, they better focus on selling. Retail locations are expensive so if you aren't moving product you are going to lose a lot of money fast.
It's all well and good to invest in a platform to promote your products and educate customers about them. But will you really get that much traffic into your location if people don't come in to buy? I think they have to try to create a great buying experience or they won't have many visitor to promote to.
How will you get any employee to help you in a MS Store?
They will be too busy trying to fix the crashing computers on display.
They will be too busy trying to fix the crashing computers on display.
iAlex
macrumors member
Calling for a manufacture to be accountable for making a clearly defective product is "tirades and lies"? 🙁 Like when MS shipped XP with the whole open socket nightmare (probable the source of 75% of my daily spam) or the freaking non-functioning firewall, or lets see, how many years did it take to deliver VISTA? And what the hell is VISTA, a MAC like GUI on XP? Joy.... When ever has there been an ENTIRE market segment "antiVr/Malware been created due to a products continual, non-addressed, failures. If GM made cars that needed as many patches as windows they would be out of business.... oh wait a minute.... 🙄. I'm happy to cheer on Apple. Thank God someone like Steve Jobs has to balls to shake up the industry, and the cell phone industry too. It forces these poor excuses to actually innovate and stop shelving mediocre products to consumers, and mediocre is putting lightly. After 15 of using MS, in my mind, it COMPLETELY epitomizes everything that is wrong with American business today.
Maybe they plan on letting people play and test out the products? If at Walmart they had an iPod touch I could test out and stuff, I would have purchased it much earlier. But, I decided to read dozens of reviews and wonder if I could hold it easily enough. 🙄
iSee
macrumors 68040
How is it not trolling to go on MR and say "90% of the Mac owners I have met were pretentious wankers?" 🙄
jmoore5196
macrumors 6502a
Imagine - the MS store could have a perpetual sidewalk sale!
I think it was Ruskin who said that people who consider price alone are the legitimate prey of companies like Microsoft. After Seven flops, even that won't be enough ... MS will have to begin justifying itself to consumers. That should be exciting!
I think it was Ruskin who said that people who consider price alone are the legitimate prey of companies like Microsoft. After Seven flops, even that won't be enough ... MS will have to begin justifying itself to consumers. That should be exciting!
rockdog
macrumors member
Come on people, at least MS is trying. They can't help it they haven't had any original ideas in say 15 years, or can they? It's so hard to tell anymore.
Anyway, competition is good, even if it's Varsity vs. JV, it wasn't that long ago when Apple was trying to find a way to stay relevant in the world.
Anyway, competition is good, even if it's Varsity vs. JV, it wasn't that long ago when Apple was trying to find a way to stay relevant in the world.
Westside guy
macrumors 604
The point is to showcase, not sell. They won't be competing with anyone in the "mall" (like gamestop) because MS store will always charge full retail on everything. But I bet you can play something in-store on a huge TV and sound system and then waltz over to gamestop to get it for cheaper. what does MS care? And gamestop will be pumped. Go loiter in the MS store and buy here. They'll love it.
They're basically offering the apple store personal "help" vibe and "take it for a spin" thing to see if it boosts sales in general. not the specific store itself. I would guess it's gonna be more a "candy store" than a business with a bunch of kids running around going:
"You know what else is cool about windows 7...that's easy with windows...OSX is awesome, in fact some stuff it does better, but you know what it can't do....?" Like that.
It's an interesting idea.
The Zune (whatever iteration) and Bing, however are not. See with stuff like that they always kinda miss it. They will never understand that it's not the player anymore, but it's the iTunes/store/apps package.
On the other hand, I read a comment recently on Gizmodo (i think) where someone pointed out that MS seems to be going for #2 in a bunch of markets and NOT #1. So that Zune really competes with Creative, and Bing really competes with Yahoo etc. I actually think that sounds about right. And that's some serious NOT dumb moves.
They're basically offering the apple store personal "help" vibe and "take it for a spin" thing to see if it boosts sales in general. not the specific store itself. I would guess it's gonna be more a "candy store" than a business with a bunch of kids running around going:
"You know what else is cool about windows 7...that's easy with windows...OSX is awesome, in fact some stuff it does better, but you know what it can't do....?" Like that.
It's an interesting idea.
The Zune (whatever iteration) and Bing, however are not. See with stuff like that they always kinda miss it. They will never understand that it's not the player anymore, but it's the iTunes/store/apps package.
On the other hand, I read a comment recently on Gizmodo (i think) where someone pointed out that MS seems to be going for #2 in a bunch of markets and NOT #1. So that Zune really competes with Creative, and Bing really competes with Yahoo etc. I actually think that sounds about right. And that's some serious NOT dumb moves.
Eidorian
macrumors Penryn
Page 1 wouldn't exist then.
You have the option of ignoring a user just like you have the option of adding them to your buddy list.
I've not visited their website in a couple of months, but if it's the same as it was, then i agree with you entirely. It's a mess. I also have to agree with your last line there.
It's quite similar to Google really. Google Docs, Gmail, Google search, Chrome browser... it all seemed a bit over the place, but with the announcement of the Chrome OS, everything fits together. It seems they had a plan from the start.
Microsoft, on the other hand, just seems to be... doing stuff. From your list, though, Internet Explorer and Windows 7 can be combined (as can Bing) just in the same way OS X and Safari can be combined. I wouldn't use a different browser - mainly because i really like Safari - but also part because i like things to be tidy and neat (another browser on my computer would feel unnecessarily messy - i'm sure i've OCD or something) and part because i am a bit of a purist. I imagine there must be some Microsoft purists out there.
But about Microsoft's scattering: i'd say that now is a great time for them to get it all organised. Especially if this retail store concept comes to fruition and they can bolt down a solid set of products to showcase and be able to provide a clear REASON for them. "It works with this, this integrates seamlessly, you have no reason to buy anything else..."
I've never used Microsoft as a proper productivity-providing company, nor probably used the majority of features that may be available in Windows, nor have I spent any real time on Windows (XP) since i got my MacBook last February, so what i'm about to say may be voided entirely. But from what i gather - as part of what *I* personally think Microsoft should be doing - is they need to bring together everything they've made and make it all integrate easily and in an inspired way.
Maybe they already do this, I do not know. I'm just talking from the perspective of someone who finds using Apple software and products so enjoyable to use and work between. Maybe it's simply because it's easy to use. Maybe it's because of its minimalism (with no compromising of features). Maybe it's because Apple has a clear, defined list of products. Maybe it's because Apple provides clean video tutorials on its site.
But with this integration, Microsoft can have clearly defined products with clearly defined roles. Maybe this isn't what they want though, maybe they're perfectly fine the way they are. My viewpoint may very well be similar to a life-long Windows user taking their first look at a Mac.
Microsoft has always been 2nd to Apple for me. But now with Chrome OS on the way and Google's limited yet definite and precise set of software/products that all have a clear purpose and place, Microsoft has slipped to 3rd.
This just leaked onto YouTube...Training video for the un-store's non-selling sales people: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGvHNNOLnCk
If this is what Microsoft calls an Immersive Experience, I think it's because of the amount of spit that ends up on your shirt and spectacles.
John.B
macrumors 601
Cool, a store where you can't really buy anything! How did that pan out for Gateway, does anyone remember?
As I said over on AI, maybe they'll at least play the Monkey Boy and Developers! Developers! Developers! videos on a big screen? Just for the entertainment value? LOL! 😀
Still, a pretty ballsy move by Ballmer: Getting even with
using his shareholders' capital.
As I said over on AI, maybe they'll at least play the Monkey Boy and Developers! Developers! Developers! videos on a big screen? Just for the entertainment value? LOL! 😀
Still, a pretty ballsy move by Ballmer: Getting even with
using his shareholders' capital.
Welcome to the Microsoft store.
+ Windows 7 Home Premium
+ Office 2007
That will be $700 thanks. *guffaw* 😀
Makes me think if they will sell HP computers in these Microsoft stores? Otherwise what's the point of a Microsoft store?
+ Windows 7 Home Premium
+ Office 2007
That will be $700 thanks. *guffaw* 😀
Makes me think if they will sell HP computers in these Microsoft stores? Otherwise what's the point of a Microsoft store?
futch
macrumors 6502
Cool, a store where you can't really buy anything! How did that pan out for Gateway, does anyone remember?
As I said over on AI, maybe they'll at least play the Monkey Boy and Developers! Developers! Developers! videos on a big screen? Just for the entertainment value? LOL! 😀
Still, a pretty ballsy move by Ballmer: Getting even with
Thanks for the links. 😀
This reminds me of that family guy.
"Hey Bill (Gates)! Want to listen to my Zune? No i have an ipod..... like the rest of the world!"
"Hey Bill (Gates)! Want to listen to my Zune? No i have an ipod..... like the rest of the world!"
Apple's Xbox360 competitor:
Windows desktop market share: apprx. 90%
Blackberry marketshare > iPhone OS market share = Microsoft Mobile marketshare
If by dead you meant still dominant.....
I'm sorry, but as a 10yr+ Windows-based developer I have to admit that he has a point. An exaggerated point, but still ... There's a reason why everyone's moaning about the same stuff on Windows.