Perhaps I'm missing something, but what does Microsoft have to sell of value? Just wondering.
My friend, clearly you have not heard about the new products that will be unveiled at launch. There is the microPhone and the microPod touch, the microBook and the microBook Pro, all running the latest software like microTunes and the appsoft store. Microlife will ship on every computer. Finally, they will offer MicroCare as an extended warranty for all of their products. This is going to be big.
Hopefully these Microsoft stores will be opened up nation wide... If were lucky, there will be one in every city across the United States. At least Microsoft won't have to worry about the stores burning down because some emo kids ipod caught fire or exploded in the process of being fixed.... Why are ipods always 'crapping' out after a couple of months??? What's the point in paying all that extra money for "the apple tax" if the damn things are just going to stop working for no reason at all???
Will they also use the handy belt clip credit card payment devices that Apple uses?
I do wonder if they will have HP, Dell, Toshiba, etc computers lined up on tables for people to use and get online? If so, how will they justify recommending one companies computer over another, won't that anger Dell if they suggest an HP and vice versa?
I do want to see the store just out of curiosity, because it can't only be loaded with Zunes, Zune cases, Zune boombox speakers, MS Suite and Windows 7 boxes. Will they refuse to fix a Windows XP computer since they are trying to get users to upgrade? Will they fix Windows Mobile phones (that would be a huge headache)? What else do they have to sell?
Will they also use the handy belt clip credit card payment devices that Apple uses?
I do wonder if they will have HP, Dell, Toshiba, etc computers lined up on tables for people to use and get online? If so, how will they justify recommending one companies computer over another, won't that anger Dell if they suggest an HP and vice versa?
I do want to see the store just out of curiosity, because it can't only be loaded with Zunes, Zune cases, Zune boombox speakers, MS Suite and Windows 7 boxes. Will they refuse to fix a Windows XP computer since they are trying to get users to upgrade? Will they fix Windows Mobile phones (that would be a huge headache)? What else do they have to sell?
You know how many people will be putting virus', spyware, malware on these display units.
I can see the men in penguin suites thinking already.
Hopefully these Microsoft stores will be opened up nation wide... If were lucky, there will be one in every city across the United States. At least Microsoft won't have to worry about the stores burning down because some emo kids ipod caught fire or exploded in the process of being fixed.... Why are ipods always 'crapping' out after a couple of months??? What's the point in paying all that extra money for "the apple tax" if the damn things are just going to stop working for no reason at all???
Who needs a Microsoft store. They are just crapping on their partners who are selling products at Best Buy, Fry's, etc. You want a Microsoft store? then go to Best Buy or Fry's. You will find everything Microsoft makes.
I wonder how they will keep the viruses off of the computers in-store or the blue screen away after hours of use by normal people.
Keep that ugly store inspired by the 90s away from my neighborhood thank you.
Of course, the whole thing is just another example of follow the leader played by MS following and copying Apple once again. but never living up to the original.
Hopefully these Microsoft stores will be opened up nation wide... If were lucky, there will be one in every city across the United States. At least Microsoft won't have to worry about the stores burning down because some emo kids ipod caught fire or exploded in the process of being fixed.... Why are ipods always 'crapping' out after a couple of months??? What's the point in paying all that extra money for "the apple tax" if the damn things are just going to stop working for no reason at all???
hehehe
here's a search result from Bing on Zune's battery:
Can someone help me understand why MS is doing this. When Apple opened retail stores, there were very few places people could even see a Mac, let alone buy one. There were also very few places to have your Mac serviced. Good luck finding Mac software. There was no way Apple could convince a large number of people to switch from Windows and at least consider their products without a reliable retail presence.
With Gateway stores and Dell kiosks, they were trying to give people a way to see and touch their offerings which was particularly important for selling laptops.
What would MS consider success? If successful, what exactly does MS gain? Everyone already knows what it is like to run Windows, even Mac users. Everyone is familiar with PC hardware. There are no end of places where a person can see Windows in action and the hardware that runs it. They already have marketshare. Would they even notice a few extra points? There is no switcher market as most Mac users left Windows in the first place. We know exactly what we are missing. How does MS define success? How does this venture give them something they do not already have? How does this end well for them?
MS looks at Apple and says "It seems to be working for them. We should get a piece of that too." What they do not seem to factor in the equation is why Apple needed to do it in the first place. It is easy to understand why Apple did it and and why they succeeded. With MS, I am completely at a loss. I have a feeling they are too.
Can someone help me understand why MS is doing this.
That's easy. MS was built using Apple's ideas from the get go. Without Apple they don't know what to do. The logical thing to do is to do what Apple does. What they don't realize is that they don't have the same business model.
That's easy. MS was built using Apple's ideas from the get go. Without Apple they don't know what to do. The logical thing to do is to do what Apple does. What they don't realize is that they don't have the same business model.
Well that's just it. MS is trying to do what Apple does with software and hardware that is totally incompatible with Apple's business model. They probably assume that even if they don't own the whole widget, they can go halfway, use a few Apple-like elements here and there, and problem solved. Except it really doesn't work like that.
...and problem solved. Except it really doesn't work like that.
But that's just it. What problem do they have to solve? They are not having any trouble selling Windows or office except maybe to businesses. A retail store would not help that. Unless I miss my guess, Apple's recent gains are nothing to threaten MS's bottom line. Are these stores only being opened to poke a stick in Apple's eye, or is there a business reason for this venture?
It wouldn't really bother me too much if Microsoft copied the Apple Store (even the Genius Bar) right down to the color of the carpeting if it were likely they could make it work. If the plans for the MS stores proceed as suggested by the original article, then their chance of success is close to nil.
Clearly they (the consultants and/or MS) don't seem to understand what makes the Apple Stores work else they wouldn't be trying to clone them. To have any reasonable chance of success, the features of the Apple Stores would have to be adapted to fit Microsoft's business model and marketing environment, but as many posters have pointed out, there doesn't seem to be a way to do that (not without losing a lot of money, anyway).
As for Apple copying others' ideas, they certainly have bought their share of products developed by others and marketed them, with or without reworking them first. But when it comes to the graphical interface elements based on the work done at Xerox PARC, what seems to be forgotten is that Apple licensed some, if not all, of those elements in a deal with Xerox. That hardly constitutes copying in the sense of plagiarism.
Good grief! The Guru bar is going to bankrupt M$. Ever tried calling their tech support?
actually i suspect they will do the classic pass the buck thing that made me move to a mac (that and the incomprehensible DLL files and bill only allowing us 11 midi devices). oh you have a different graphics card? then that's the problem contact them. tossers...
But that's just it. What problem do they have to solve? They are not having any trouble selling Windows or office except maybe to businesses. A retail store would not help that. Unless I miss my guess, Apple's recent gains are nothing to threaten MS's bottom line. Are these stores only being opened to poke a stick in Apple's eye, or is there a business reason for this venture?
MS still having a ton of money is really beside the point, IMHO, when considering performance. Having a ton of money yet failing to innovate and roll out compelling and inspiring products simply shows you're slow and lazy. A pretty dangerous position that does little to inspire investor confidence. MS can ride the coattails of its licensing cow forever, and still have a ton of money while doing nothing in particular. Then you have Apple with a fraction of MS' R&D, fewer employees, yet they are tearing up the industry and redefining whole market left and right in only a couple of years.
Suddenly that ton of money MS has doesn't look so inspiring.
MS is opening stores because their brand image is horrible, they have zero mindshare, they are viewed as mere copycats that are continually embarrassed by the Premium-market focused Apple, and more telling, is that recent trends have been quite disturbing for MS:
Market share plunging from 97%+ 3-4 years ago to ~88% currently.
IE webshare plunging substantially in the wake of Firefox and other alternatives.
Overwhelming unit sale market share, but it's now almost entirely at the low end of the market.
Increasing concerns about all of this performance and their lack of focus, plus their underperforming non-core areas (Zune, etc) and no expectation of any real recovery over the next couple of quarters. Due at least in part to no vision and lousy leadership (Ballmer.)
The total failure of their marketing efforts (from Seinfeld to Laptop Hunters), and how this ties in with their free advertising for Apple.
Concerns over Google's Chrome OS (which might put even MS low-end market potential in jeopardy.)
MS' loss of control of the Premium end of the market ($1000+ notebooks), virtually owned by Apple
MS' image as a cheap, bargain-basement brand and a dinosaur company past its prime that can no longer innovate, and which depends on the ideas of others to get ahead, but get ahead too late.
So really, it's a combination of reasons. What might hurt the most, however, is their loss of the Premium end of the market and their lousy brand image. MS simply does not know what it is, and can't articulate what the hell it is. This store venture is MS' attempt to "class up" Windows and cultivate the image of "cool" and "stylish." MS wants the upper crust of income earners to choose Windows, not Apple.
Except there's a slight problem: Windows and the hardware manufacturers aren't set up for this kind of business model. The Store venture and the whole premise underlining Apple is that owning the whole widget is the first step and the most important step in providing the kind of experience that can be showcased and promoted effectively. Something that's in need of "classing up" in the first place really needs to be rethought. It's the old lipstick-on-a-pig idea.
The problem is (and always was), that Microsoft is just a corporate/enterprise software vendor masquerading as a home/consumer vendor. And it really shows.
I'm getting a little tired of people saying Microsoft is not innovative and that they've never come up with an original idea. Behold, a top 10 list of consumer-friendly, breakthrough technologies brought to you from the minds at Microsoft:
Microsoft Bob & Clippy
The Registry
20-Digit Product Keys
SongSmith
Internet Explorer
Squirting
Windows Genuine Advantage
Embrace and Extend
DRM
DLL Hell
You missed one:
An update to the update to the update to Microsoft update. But that probably falls under WGA.
After all these years, I still can't for the life of me understand how it is that Mircosoft has any "fanboys" at all. Like, fans of what? Windows??? Office? Its corporate products? Microsoft really hasn't done anything remotely compelling or interesting since 2001. And Windows XP was nothing to be proud of. Maybe the Xbox . . .
And really, how good will these Microsoft store be for their image initially and what impact will that have long-term? The second one opens beside and Apple Store, consumers will immediately label it as "copycat." MS is being way too obvious with this latest attempt to ape Apple. They'll be doing a wonderful job of reinforcing their "follower" image.
Comments
Perhaps I'm missing something, but what does Microsoft have to sell of value? Just wondering.
My friend, clearly you have not heard about the new products that will be unveiled at launch. There is the microPhone and the microPod touch, the microBook and the microBook Pro, all running the latest software like microTunes and the appsoft store. Microlife will ship on every computer. Finally, they will offer MicroCare as an extended warranty for all of their products. This is going to be big.
I do wonder if they will have HP, Dell, Toshiba, etc computers lined up on tables for people to use and get online? If so, how will they justify recommending one companies computer over another, won't that anger Dell if they suggest an HP and vice versa?
I do want to see the store just out of curiosity, because it can't only be loaded with Zunes, Zune cases, Zune boombox speakers, MS Suite and Windows 7 boxes. Will they refuse to fix a Windows XP computer since they are trying to get users to upgrade? Will they fix Windows Mobile phones (that would be a huge headache)? What else do they have to sell?
Will they also use the handy belt clip credit card payment devices that Apple uses?
I do wonder if they will have HP, Dell, Toshiba, etc computers lined up on tables for people to use and get online? If so, how will they justify recommending one companies computer over another, won't that anger Dell if they suggest an HP and vice versa?
I do want to see the store just out of curiosity, because it can't only be loaded with Zunes, Zune cases, Zune boombox speakers, MS Suite and Windows 7 boxes. Will they refuse to fix a Windows XP computer since they are trying to get users to upgrade? Will they fix Windows Mobile phones (that would be a huge headache)? What else do they have to sell?
You know how many people will be putting virus', spyware, malware on these display units.
I can see the men in penguin suites thinking already.
Hopefully these Microsoft stores will be opened up nation wide... If were lucky, there will be one in every city across the United States. At least Microsoft won't have to worry about the stores burning down because some emo kids ipod caught fire or exploded in the process of being fixed.... Why are ipods always 'crapping' out after a couple of months??? What's the point in paying all that extra money for "the apple tax" if the damn things are just going to stop working for no reason at all???
Who needs a Microsoft store. They are just crapping on their partners who are selling products at Best Buy, Fry's, etc. You want a Microsoft store? then go to Best Buy or Fry's. You will find everything Microsoft makes.
I wonder how they will keep the viruses off of the computers in-store or the blue screen away after hours of use by normal people.
Keep that ugly store inspired by the 90s away from my neighborhood thank you.
Of course, the whole thing is just another example of follow the leader played by MS following and copying Apple once again. but never living up to the original.
Hopefully these Microsoft stores will be opened up nation wide... If were lucky, there will be one in every city across the United States. At least Microsoft won't have to worry about the stores burning down because some emo kids ipod caught fire or exploded in the process of being fixed.... Why are ipods always 'crapping' out after a couple of months??? What's the point in paying all that extra money for "the apple tax" if the damn things are just going to stop working for no reason at all???
hehehe
here's a search result from Bing on Zune's battery:
http://www.bing.com/search?q=zune+ba...form=QBRE&qs=n
With Gateway stores and Dell kiosks, they were trying to give people a way to see and touch their offerings which was particularly important for selling laptops.
What would MS consider success? If successful, what exactly does MS gain? Everyone already knows what it is like to run Windows, even Mac users. Everyone is familiar with PC hardware. There are no end of places where a person can see Windows in action and the hardware that runs it. They already have marketshare. Would they even notice a few extra points? There is no switcher market as most Mac users left Windows in the first place. We know exactly what we are missing. How does MS define success? How does this venture give them something they do not already have? How does this end well for them?
MS looks at Apple and says "It seems to be working for them. We should get a piece of that too." What they do not seem to factor in the equation is why Apple needed to do it in the first place. It is easy to understand why Apple did it and and why they succeeded. With MS, I am completely at a loss. I have a feeling they are too.
Can someone help me understand why MS is doing this.
That's easy. MS was built using Apple's ideas from the get go. Without Apple they don't know what to do. The logical thing to do is to do what Apple does. What they don't realize is that they don't have the same business model.
That's easy. MS was built using Apple's ideas from the get go. Without Apple they don't know what to do. The logical thing to do is to do what Apple does. What they don't realize is that they don't have the same business model.
Well that's just it. MS is trying to do what Apple does with software and hardware that is totally incompatible with Apple's business model. They probably assume that even if they don't own the whole widget, they can go halfway, use a few Apple-like elements here and there, and problem solved. Except it really doesn't work like that.
...and problem solved. Except it really doesn't work like that.
But that's just it. What problem do they have to solve? They are not having any trouble selling Windows or office except maybe to businesses. A retail store would not help that. Unless I miss my guess, Apple's recent gains are nothing to threaten MS's bottom line. Are these stores only being opened to poke a stick in Apple's eye, or is there a business reason for this venture?
Clearly they (the consultants and/or MS) don't seem to understand what makes the Apple Stores work else they wouldn't be trying to clone them. To have any reasonable chance of success, the features of the Apple Stores would have to be adapted to fit Microsoft's business model and marketing environment, but as many posters have pointed out, there doesn't seem to be a way to do that (not without losing a lot of money, anyway).
As for Apple copying others' ideas, they certainly have bought their share of products developed by others and marketed them, with or without reworking them first. But when it comes to the graphical interface elements based on the work done at Xerox PARC, what seems to be forgotten is that Apple licensed some, if not all, of those elements in a deal with Xerox. That hardly constitutes copying in the sense of plagiarism.
This makes you believe the last original thought this company had was the word "microsoft" itself.
MS Guru Bar Application
Name _________________
Age _____ Gender ______
Do you own a Zune?____
Spell "DLL"_____________
and i had almost forgot about DLL's after leaving windows over ten years ago. i will have nightmares tonight...
Good grief! The Guru bar is going to bankrupt M$. Ever tried calling their tech support?
actually i suspect they will do the classic pass the buck thing that made me move to a mac (that and the incomprehensible DLL files and bill only allowing us 11 midi devices). oh you have a different graphics card? then that's the problem contact them. tossers...
But that's just it. What problem do they have to solve? They are not having any trouble selling Windows or office except maybe to businesses. A retail store would not help that. Unless I miss my guess, Apple's recent gains are nothing to threaten MS's bottom line. Are these stores only being opened to poke a stick in Apple's eye, or is there a business reason for this venture?
MS still having a ton of money is really beside the point, IMHO, when considering performance. Having a ton of money yet failing to innovate and roll out compelling and inspiring products simply shows you're slow and lazy. A pretty dangerous position that does little to inspire investor confidence. MS can ride the coattails of its licensing cow forever, and still have a ton of money while doing nothing in particular. Then you have Apple with a fraction of MS' R&D, fewer employees, yet they are tearing up the industry and redefining whole market left and right in only a couple of years.
Suddenly that ton of money MS has doesn't look so inspiring.
MS is opening stores because their brand image is horrible, they have zero mindshare, they are viewed as mere copycats that are continually embarrassed by the Premium-market focused Apple, and more telling, is that recent trends have been quite disturbing for MS:
Market share plunging from 97%+ 3-4 years ago to ~88% currently.
IE webshare plunging substantially in the wake of Firefox and other alternatives.
Overwhelming unit sale market share, but it's now almost entirely at the low end of the market.
Increasing concerns about all of this performance and their lack of focus, plus their underperforming non-core areas (Zune, etc) and no expectation of any real recovery over the next couple of quarters. Due at least in part to no vision and lousy leadership (Ballmer.)
The total failure of their marketing efforts (from Seinfeld to Laptop Hunters), and how this ties in with their free advertising for Apple.
Concerns over Google's Chrome OS (which might put even MS low-end market potential in jeopardy.)
MS' loss of control of the Premium end of the market ($1000+ notebooks), virtually owned by Apple
MS' image as a cheap, bargain-basement brand and a dinosaur company past its prime that can no longer innovate, and which depends on the ideas of others to get ahead, but get ahead too late.
So really, it's a combination of reasons. What might hurt the most, however, is their loss of the Premium end of the market and their lousy brand image. MS simply does not know what it is, and can't articulate what the hell it is. This store venture is MS' attempt to "class up" Windows and cultivate the image of "cool" and "stylish." MS wants the upper crust of income earners to choose Windows, not Apple.
Except there's a slight problem: Windows and the hardware manufacturers aren't set up for this kind of business model. The Store venture and the whole premise underlining Apple is that owning the whole widget is the first step and the most important step in providing the kind of experience that can be showcased and promoted effectively. Something that's in need of "classing up" in the first place really needs to be rethought. It's the old lipstick-on-a-pig idea.
The problem is (and always was), that Microsoft is just a corporate/enterprise software vendor masquerading as a home/consumer vendor. And it really shows.
Guru Bar doesn't even sound good does it? In fact, it sounds very naff. Nerd Herd would have been cool, but thanks to Chuck, they can't call it that!
Guru Bar...
Wow. With brilliant editorial insight like this, I plan to spend a lot more of my time reading Gizmodo articles in the future...
Having a ton of money yet failing to innovate and roll out compelling and inspiring products simply shows you're slow and lazy.
Who says Microsoft can't innovate?
You know, it gets a little tiring to hear that Microsoft is not innovative and that they've never come up with an original idea.
Behold, a top 10 list of consumer-friendly, breakthrough technologies brought to you from the minds at Microsoft:
* Microsoft Bob & Clippy
* The Registry
* 20-Digit Product Keys
* SongSmith
* DLLs
* Internet Explorer & ActiveX
* Squirting
* Windows Genuine Advantage
* PlaysForSure DRM
* Embrace and Extend
"In short, if it's anything like what Lippincott is planning, it sounds absolutely amazing, and we'll be lining up the first day it opens."
Wow. With brilliant editorial insight like this, I plan to spend a lot more of my time reading Gizmodo articles in the future...
Remember, these are the same people that get all excited and jubilant over an IE security patch.
Who says Microsoft can't innovate?
I'm getting a little tired of people saying Microsoft is not innovative and that they've never come up with an original idea. Behold, a top 10 list of consumer-friendly, breakthrough technologies brought to you from the minds at Microsoft:
Microsoft Bob & Clippy
The Registry
20-Digit Product Keys
SongSmith
Internet Explorer
Squirting
Windows Genuine Advantage
Embrace and Extend
DRM
DLL Hell
You missed one:
An update to the update to the update to Microsoft update. But that probably falls under WGA.
After all these years, I still can't for the life of me understand how it is that Mircosoft has any "fanboys" at all. Like, fans of what? Windows??? Office? Its corporate products? Microsoft really hasn't done anything remotely compelling or interesting since 2001. And Windows XP was nothing to be proud of. Maybe the Xbox . . .
And really, how good will these Microsoft store be for their image initially and what impact will that have long-term? The second one opens beside and Apple Store, consumers will immediately label it as "copycat." MS is being way too obvious with this latest attempt to ape Apple. They'll be doing a wonderful job of reinforcing their "follower" image.