I have no idea what the MS stores will look like, nor what they will sell, but the idea of positioning your store near a competitor is standard practice in many retail areas. If you already have people looking at computer-y things you might as well place your store where they are, kinda thing. That's why clothes stores and furniture stores etc are always grouped together. I would think this is a big gamble for MS, however. They will need to create a buzz in their stores to match the Apple stores and that might be hard. I suspect they will focus on fan and games to draw young people and families in order to emphasize the ease of use and accessibility of the Windows experience.
I wouldn't be too worried. Apparently it's "Life without walls", so the stores will merely be canvas canopies over a bunch of cardboard cutouts of products in wide open parking lots where there will be no windows.
Very easy to move if it doesn't work out near an Apple store.
In a not-so-subtle move, Microsoft says its retail stores will deliberately open near those run by Apple.
Good grief! Microsoft keeps copying Apple's good ideas and is now putting their stores near Apple's. They're like the geeky little kid who is constantly copying and following the cool popular guy in school. Worse yet, it's the Microstalker. Can Apple get a restraining order against M$? I'm just waiting for the day when the news shows a crazed Steve Ballmer breaking into Steve Jobs' home and squeezing himself into SJ's underwear.
That doesn't surprise me. MS has always been in Apple's shadow, why would now be any different?
In other breaking news, Apple confirmed 50 new stores to be built in Alaska! Microsoft to follow...
A little too late to try and pass off that "wouldn't copy Apple" thing!
Nah! Just a store bigger than New York's in Wasila. When Apple was asked the reasoning, they said, ``We want to capitalize on the millions of lookers trying to see where Palin made history.''
I just looked at the photo for the first time (it hadn't loaded when I first read the article, and I jumped straight to the comments). They have all the money in the world, and their premier retail outlet has exposed metal trusses and heating vents?!? Have they learned nothing from copying Apple all these years?
It's just like the comparison between the inside of a typical PC versus the inside of a Mac Pro. I don't think Microsoft could pay attention to detail if their life depended on it. Embarrassing.
I would guess the call from Apple is about as true as him physically doing "cartwheels" down the hallway.
ie. A completely made up story that sounded good and got the people pumped up for how AWESOME MS is.
The timeline especially seems strange, I don't see why Apple would have contacted them 2 weeks ago since they have been airing the commercials for months and the new MBP's have been available for over a month.
This will only result in the same scene I saw in NorthPark Center Mall in Dallas. Apple store was full with shoppers while Dell store employees on the upper level were playing Solitaire.
Same here.. it was some mall in Portland. The apple store was bursting with people, talk, noise, discussions, music. And the sony store across was literally empty, the employees were so bored they were actually surprised to see me visit! And that's when sony sells so many products.
I didn't think Microsoft could be any more pathetic than they already are...but I was wrong. They copied the Mac OS; they copied the iPod; they're copying the iPhone as we speak; and now they're copying the Apple Stores. By the way, all of their "copies" are pathetic and I expect the stores to be horrendous specters.
They didn't copy Mac OS.
They didn't copy the iPod.
I'd love to see your evidence, documentation and proof that they are "copying" the iPhone as we speak.
And I wasn't aware that any corporation opening a retail store is copying Apple. Gosh, I guess Apple copied Best Buy by opening up a retail store.
And you're nothing more than a biased idiot. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. You seem to forget your precious corporation known as Apple has done plenty of "borrowing" itself.
And no, Microsoft stores won't fail. Everyone said the Apple stores would fail, and they didn't. Sorry to disappoint you, but Apple still has little market share in the world. It's not an iWorld, at least not yet.
I'd love to see your evidence, documentation and proof that they are "copying" the iPhone as we speak.
And I wasn't aware that any corporation opening a retail store is copying Apple. Gosh, I guess Apple copied Best Buy by opening up a retail store.
And you're nothing more than a biased idiot. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. You seem to forget your precious corporation known as Apple has done plenty of "borrowing" itself.
And no, Microsoft stores won't fail. Everyone said the Apple stores would fail, and they didn't. Sorry to disappoint you, but Apple still has little market share in the world. It's not an iWorld, at least not yet.
Yeah, I think you're missing the point. Microsoft rarely ever innovates: it waits for other companies to come up with good ideas and if they pick up traction in the market, Microsoft creates its own version of that idea. Microsoft rarely produces innovative and interesting products (just look at WinMo if you don't believe me).
A great example is the Aero mode it introduced in Windows Vista. Not only did it physically resemble the Aqua UI element that had been in Macs for years, but the actual coding for it was near identical.
And what exactly propelled MS to create the Zune? Were it not for the iPod's popularity in the market, Microsoft would have seen a reason to create an MP3 player or, for that matter, the ZunePass music store.
Anecdotal evidence and common sense will tell you that MS has made a career out of copying Apple and others.
And being a slobbering, Apple fanboy makes you the "cool popular guy", and not the geek?
Like you know anything about me. LOL!
And in case you didn't notice, my analogy was for Microsoft and Apple. Apple products have a cool factor that Microsoft Windows doesn't have. Relatively speaking, Steve B = Geek, Steve J = Pretty darned cool.
Oh and for your information, I've been a PC user for 20 years and got my Mac a year ago, after years of frustration with Windows. If that qualifies me as a fanboy, then so be it. I'd rather be a fanboy than a moron trying to insult someone he knows nothing about.
Comments
sign says "open" but doors are locked
"please reboot to enter"
5 different entrances for each version of sp vista
lights flicker
suddenly all sales staff freeze
they use apple software for checkout
all computers lock up showing a porn portal
you must show your virus protection software to enter
they sell condoms for the laptops
$25 to enter, $35 release fee then $45 to leave
they have a kiosk outside each store for immediate fixes for just purchased items
sales staff have black market linux and chrome os reboot disks
fog fills the store--that's their cloud
sales staff speak only dolphin language
card board people to enhance the numbers
sued for unusual punishment for sales staff
run by gateway
sales staff get to downgrade to XP
just add to the list
card board people to enhance the numbers
Hahahahaha!
Seriously though, they will fail. They're so pathetic.
Microsoft retail locations to shadow Apple's
That doesn't surprise me. MS has always been in Apple's shadow, why would now be any different?
A Microsoft representative eventually confirmed that at least some stores will be "in proximity" to Apple's.
In other breaking news, Apple confirmed 50 new stores to be built in Alaska! Microsoft to follow...
He wouldn't enter into a discussion of what the stores themselves would resemble other than to say they wouldn't copy Apple.
A little too late to try and pass off that "wouldn't copy Apple" thing!
Very easy to move if it doesn't work out near an Apple store.
So, their travelling show just might work.
/sarcasm
In a not-so-subtle move, Microsoft says its retail stores will deliberately open near those run by Apple.
Good grief! Microsoft keeps copying Apple's good ideas and is now putting their stores near Apple's. They're like the geeky little kid who is constantly copying and following the cool popular guy in school. Worse yet, it's the Microstalker. Can Apple get a restraining order against M$? I'm just waiting for the day when the news shows a crazed Steve Ballmer breaking into Steve Jobs' home and squeezing himself into SJ's underwear.
That doesn't surprise me. MS has always been in Apple's shadow, why would now be any different?
In other breaking news, Apple confirmed 50 new stores to be built in Alaska! Microsoft to follow...
A little too late to try and pass off that "wouldn't copy Apple" thing!
Nah! Just a store bigger than New York's in Wasila. When Apple was asked the reasoning, they said, ``We want to capitalize on the millions of lookers trying to see where Palin made history.''
They're like the geeky little kid who is constantly copying and following the cool popular guy in school.
And being a slobbering, Apple fanboy makes you the "cool popular guy", and not the geek?
It's just like the comparison between the inside of a typical PC versus the inside of a Mac Pro. I don't think Microsoft could pay attention to detail if their life depended on it. Embarrassing.
Clever ruse or is Apple really scared of the PC Hunter ads?
I would guess the call from Apple is about as true as him physically doing "cartwheels" down the hallway.
ie. A completely made up story that sounded good and got the people pumped up for how AWESOME MS is.
The timeline especially seems strange, I don't see why Apple would have contacted them 2 weeks ago since they have been airing the commercials for months and the new MBP's have been available for over a month.
Microsoft will show the world once again why they dominate the tech sector!
This will only result in the same scene I saw in NorthPark Center Mall in Dallas. Apple store was full with shoppers while Dell store employees on the upper level were playing Solitaire.
Same here.. it was some mall in Portland. The apple store was bursting with people, talk, noise, discussions, music. And the sony store across was literally empty, the employees were so bored they were actually surprised to see me visit! And that's when sony sells so many products.
What exactly would they sell at a Microsoft store? MS Office, Zune, and xbox? Oh, and a mouse? How could they possible make money doing this?
The Apple stores make money, so would Microsoft stores.
Not everyone are iSheep. In fact, most of the world aren't.
I didn't think Microsoft could be any more pathetic than they already are...but I was wrong. They copied the Mac OS; they copied the iPod; they're copying the iPhone as we speak; and now they're copying the Apple Stores. By the way, all of their "copies" are pathetic and I expect the stores to be horrendous specters.
They didn't copy Mac OS.
They didn't copy the iPod.
I'd love to see your evidence, documentation and proof that they are "copying" the iPhone as we speak.
And I wasn't aware that any corporation opening a retail store is copying Apple. Gosh, I guess Apple copied Best Buy by opening up a retail store.
And you're nothing more than a biased idiot. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. You seem to forget your precious corporation known as Apple has done plenty of "borrowing" itself.
And no, Microsoft stores won't fail. Everyone said the Apple stores would fail, and they didn't. Sorry to disappoint you, but Apple still has little market share in the world. It's not an iWorld, at least not yet.
They didn't copy Mac OS.
They didn't copy the iPod.
I'd love to see your evidence, documentation and proof that they are "copying" the iPhone as we speak.
And I wasn't aware that any corporation opening a retail store is copying Apple. Gosh, I guess Apple copied Best Buy by opening up a retail store.
And you're nothing more than a biased idiot. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. You seem to forget your precious corporation known as Apple has done plenty of "borrowing" itself.
And no, Microsoft stores won't fail. Everyone said the Apple stores would fail, and they didn't. Sorry to disappoint you, but Apple still has little market share in the world. It's not an iWorld, at least not yet.
Yeah, I think you're missing the point. Microsoft rarely ever innovates: it waits for other companies to come up with good ideas and if they pick up traction in the market, Microsoft creates its own version of that idea. Microsoft rarely produces innovative and interesting products (just look at WinMo if you don't believe me).
A great example is the Aero mode it introduced in Windows Vista. Not only did it physically resemble the Aqua UI element that had been in Macs for years, but the actual coding for it was near identical.
And what exactly propelled MS to create the Zune? Were it not for the iPod's popularity in the market, Microsoft would have seen a reason to create an MP3 player or, for that matter, the ZunePass music store.
Anecdotal evidence and common sense will tell you that MS has made a career out of copying Apple and others.
The Apple stores make money, so would Microsoft stores.
Not everyone are iSheep. In fact, most of the world aren't.
Microsoft stores might make money if they sold anything.
RTA, this is going to be an "experience", not a retail store.
They will need to create a buzz in their stores to match the Apple stores and that might be hard.
The last time Microsoft was able to create a buzz was for Windows 3.0.
And being a slobbering, Apple fanboy makes you the "cool popular guy", and not the geek?
Like you know anything about me. LOL!
And in case you didn't notice, my analogy was for Microsoft and Apple. Apple products have a cool factor that Microsoft Windows doesn't have. Relatively speaking, Steve B = Geek, Steve J = Pretty darned cool.
Oh and for your information, I've been a PC user for 20 years and got my Mac a year ago, after years of frustration with Windows. If that qualifies me as a fanboy, then so be it. I'd rather be a fanboy than a moron trying to insult someone he knows nothing about.