...The one thing that annoys me about M$ is that they don't know how to leave well enough alone, if another company hits on a successful idea remotely connected to computing M$ will be there to launch a competeing product just to try and squeeze the other people out.
That is the nameless frustration I've been experiencing with this story. MS is not doing it to sell more copies of Windows or to add to their bottom line. They are doing it because it kills them to see someone else have success in an area that they do not. They have nothing new to bring to the table. They do not even need the retail boost. They simply want a piece of the action, even though it does not apply to them.
Mark my words; there will be MicroBooks, perhaps WinBooks, by Christmas.
A leaked presentation has exposed Microsoft's tentative plans for its retail stores -- and the high degree to which they'll imitate Apple stores, down to their layouts.
I went through several pages of comments (on several sites) and if anyone else posted this obvious detail, I haven't seen it.....
One of the "innovations" in the Microsoft Stores will be that you won't pay for products or services in dollars. Everything will be priced in an arbitrary currency ("Bing Bucks") whose "exchange rate" will make more expensive products seem less so, but make it hard to tell by how much without a calculator.
And first you'll have to go to a website and buy these in non-refundable pre-packaged amounts that never match the exact price of what you want to buy.......
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???
As a 7 year ipod owner, owning, 2nd, 4th, Vipod, the Itouch and the Iphone...not once have I had an issue...and those issues where probably due to 3rd party suppliers...which was probably a motivating factor into building their own hardware.
I can say so much for my Microsoft Xbox. I have to treat like a fabrege egg, I dare not speak ill of it while being present in the room, and yet I still need to send it in once a year...and its about time for my yearly red ring anniversary...
The only stable (for a microsoft product at least) microsuck OS, was NT 4.5.1.....does anyone remember the travesty posing as a full fledged OS...ME....talk about the y2K bug trying to save us ME....
Microsoft has never been able to copy Apple well, even when it has tried. Just look at their OS and UI. And I think the same thing will happen in these stores, in spite of how accurately the designs emulate Apple.
IMO, in some respects, this could hurt Microsoft more than it might help: it could reinforce the notion that Microsoft is a "me too" company who has to copy Apple, the leader in innovation.
Also, if the final execution does not have the quality of Apple's stores, it could wind up looking like a cheap copy - like a chain restaurant's "emulation" of a high quality restaurant. (Reminds me of the time I was in a chain steakhouse and they served Lancer's wine in a plastic bottle, but still let the purchaser sample the wine to see if it met his "standards".)
Having said that, if these Microsoft stores become more prolific than Apple's, that's what consumers will go to -- sort of like the way people shop in Radio Shack--it's because "it's there." And if the stores do manage to look just like Apple's, it might lead many consumers to think that Microsoft is just as good, which is probably the intention.
In the current economy, Microsoft can probably pick up cheap leases, which would be to their advantage. In the long term, this is a very expensive exercise, especially for a company that doesn't sell computers.
What will be more important than the look of the store is how it operates. If there are a lot of locked up applications on the demo machines, that will be a problem. If access to the internet requires a password, as it does in most chain operations, that will be useless. If they want to succeed, they have to create as much of a destination as the Apple stores seem to be.
What will be interesting to see is how Microsoft picks their locations - will they attempt to be on the same street and in the same mall as every Apple store?
does anyone remember the travesty posing as a full fledged OS...ME....talk about the y2K bug trying to save us ME....
LOL Windows ME. Good GOD that brings back such dreadful memories. My mom bought some systemax PC off TV running Windows ME. I seriously thought I was going to strangle my own mother.
I mean, imagine, you see windows me as complete crap, you know the ins and outs of PCs like the back of your hand, then your own mother turns around and spends hundreds of dollars on a systemax PC running windows ME. It was almost intolerable. I wanted to run away.
Needless to say, I've built her systems ever since lol.
It will be interesting to see if these stores devolve to become as flea-market-esc as CompUSA did. MS is taking something of a gamble here -- until now they have avoided this kind of competition. It's good to see them jump in and finally take some risk -- if they succeed the competition will be good for Apple. If they fail -- hopefully Apple will buy their floor space -- those Apple stores are crowded.
As I see it, locating MS Stores near to the Apple Stores can only help Apple. It's likely that at least some frustrated and/or curious MS customers will see the Apple Store and drop in there. Some may even end up buying a Mac!
So, I say, "Bring 'em on, Redmond!" And thanks!
(Hmmm, now that I think of it, I am willing to bet that this very thing will become a theme in future Mac vs PC television commercials, don't you? I can't wait!)
Another thought for what might be a good theme for the next Apple TV ad:
Q: What's the most popular key in a MS Store?
A: The Escape key!
Hitting it would magically transport the user over to the Apple Store....
-Dave
---------------------
[QUOTE=AppleInsider;1454064]A leaked presentation has exposed Microsoft's tentative plans for its retail stores -- and the high degree to which they'll imitate Apple stores, down to their layouts and even the presence of a dedicated "Guru Bar" for help.
Comments
...The one thing that annoys me about M$ is that they don't know how to leave well enough alone, if another company hits on a successful idea remotely connected to computing M$ will be there to launch a competeing product just to try and squeeze the other people out.
That is the nameless frustration I've been experiencing with this story. MS is not doing it to sell more copies of Windows or to add to their bottom line. They are doing it because it kills them to see someone else have success in an area that they do not. They have nothing new to bring to the table. They do not even need the retail boost. They simply want a piece of the action, even though it does not apply to them.
Mark my words; there will be MicroBooks, perhaps WinBooks, by Christmas.
They just should sell Zunes. The Zune Store. Welcome to the Zuniverse.
And the other 90% of the store should be a giant guru bar to help all the people who experience problems with Windows.
And the logo should be a giant Band Aid or an international Red Cross Symbol.
A leaked presentation has exposed Microsoft's tentative plans for its retail stores -- and the high degree to which they'll imitate Apple stores, down to their layouts.
I went through several pages of comments (on several sites) and if anyone else posted this obvious detail, I haven't seen it.....
One of the "innovations" in the Microsoft Stores will be that you won't pay for products or services in dollars. Everything will be priced in an arbitrary currency ("Bing Bucks") whose "exchange rate" will make more expensive products seem less so, but make it hard to tell by how much without a calculator.
And first you'll have to go to a website and buy these in non-refundable pre-packaged amounts that never match the exact price of what you want to buy.......
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???
As a 7 year ipod owner, owning, 2nd, 4th, Vipod, the Itouch and the Iphone...not once have I had an issue...and those issues where probably due to 3rd party suppliers...which was probably a motivating factor into building their own hardware.
I can say so much for my Microsoft Xbox. I have to treat like a fabrege egg, I dare not speak ill of it while being present in the room, and yet I still need to send it in once a year...and its about time for my yearly red ring anniversary...
The only stable (for a microsoft product at least) microsuck OS, was NT 4.5.1.....does anyone remember the travesty posing as a full fledged OS...ME....talk about the y2K bug trying to save us ME....
IMO, in some respects, this could hurt Microsoft more than it might help: it could reinforce the notion that Microsoft is a "me too" company who has to copy Apple, the leader in innovation.
Also, if the final execution does not have the quality of Apple's stores, it could wind up looking like a cheap copy - like a chain restaurant's "emulation" of a high quality restaurant. (Reminds me of the time I was in a chain steakhouse and they served Lancer's wine in a plastic bottle, but still let the purchaser sample the wine to see if it met his "standards".)
Having said that, if these Microsoft stores become more prolific than Apple's, that's what consumers will go to -- sort of like the way people shop in Radio Shack--it's because "it's there." And if the stores do manage to look just like Apple's, it might lead many consumers to think that Microsoft is just as good, which is probably the intention.
In the current economy, Microsoft can probably pick up cheap leases, which would be to their advantage. In the long term, this is a very expensive exercise, especially for a company that doesn't sell computers.
What will be more important than the look of the store is how it operates. If there are a lot of locked up applications on the demo machines, that will be a problem. If access to the internet requires a password, as it does in most chain operations, that will be useless. If they want to succeed, they have to create as much of a destination as the Apple stores seem to be.
What will be interesting to see is how Microsoft picks their locations - will they attempt to be on the same street and in the same mall as every Apple store?
does anyone remember the travesty posing as a full fledged OS...ME....talk about the y2K bug trying to save us ME....
LOL Windows ME. Good GOD that brings back such dreadful memories. My mom bought some systemax PC off TV running Windows ME. I seriously thought I was going to strangle my own mother.
I mean, imagine, you see windows me as complete crap, you know the ins and outs of PCs like the back of your hand, then your own mother turns around and spends hundreds of dollars on a systemax PC running windows ME. It was almost intolerable. I wanted to run away.
Needless to say, I've built her systems ever since lol.
So, I say, "Bring 'em on, Redmond!" And thanks!
(Hmmm, now that I think of it, I am willing to bet that this very thing will become a theme in future Mac vs PC television commercials, don't you? I can't wait!)
Another thought for what might be a good theme for the next Apple TV ad:
Q: What's the most popular key in a MS Store?
A: The Escape key!
Hitting it would magically transport the user over to the Apple Store....
-Dave
---------------------
[QUOTE=AppleInsider;1454064]A leaked presentation has exposed Microsoft's tentative plans for its retail stores -- and the high degree to which they'll imitate Apple stores, down to their layouts and even the presence of a dedicated "Guru Bar" for help.