I don't get what the big deal is or why people are convinced its Apple there copying. For years the likes of Sony, Panasonic etc all sold their products through other retailers, then they all started to figure why not open our own stores. Then Apple did the same, then Dell decided why not have stores as well. Now Microsoft are going to do it to, why not? Why not have a store that sells the hardware that runs Windows best and at the same time make a cut on the hardware as well as just software. Sure they may piss of a few other manufacturers but what are they going to do? Apple don't license OS X and linux isn't about to take over the world.
Also when people say what are MS going to put in the store, well they sell a lot more software than Apple, probably some PCs, Keybords etc that they sell, Zune, Xbox, Xbox games alone could probably fill half an average Apple store, support services. Lets face it the only thing they don't do that Apple do is make PCs, but there's nothing stopping them selling someone else's in the same way a lot of the stuff in the Apple store isn't made by Apple.
Did Microsoft COO Kevin Turner really say that? This is just another example of how Microsoft just doesn't get it and can't relate its' customers. Hell, we can't even understand the MyCrowSoft speak! It never ceases to amaze me at how one company can make things that are so simple so complicated.
What an original idea: open retail stores "just like Apple". MyCrowSoft has demonstrated time after time again that they don't have any original ideas, never had, never will. They just don't have what it takes to copy Apple either. Everything they copied from Apple has been a failure. And in this business climate where Gateway, Palm, Circuit City, Comp USA have failed and MyCrowSoft's own retail store failed a few years ago. Go ahead Ballmer, go for it! This times a charm.
I have been with apple for 15 years, for me apple was a company that was about Apple computers, now its about Ipods/iphones. The unibody macbooks were frankly disappointing, great if your after eye candy, but an example that apple is catering for the masses.
Anyway, I personally believe there is merit in the Microsoft stores. Interested in how it pans out.
A Mac is a PC that runs OS X. SO pull your head out, you have to deal with the same shiity hardware that a PC user gets from nvidia.
I'm really glad to see there are still some reasonable posts (and posters) around here.
Most of the others only sound as if they are trying to hide their fear and extreme hate behind "smart" and "funny" comments. I actually asked my mother-in-law, who is psychiatrist, to read this thread and give me her opinion. She is completely out of IT sphere and knows nothing about Apple and Microsoft, and her first impression was "panic".
I really can't see a reason for that, folks - Apple is strong as, has it's own well defined image, market share and army of followers. Maybe it's something about being a minority. Dunno. Have more faith in Apple, people - they are here to stay.
Back to original thread... I don't think MS is expecting to improve it's income from shops, in fact I'd rather bet budget for shops is somewhat same like marketing budget, and whole idea is just that - another form of marketing. They realised that, in the last decade, they did rely so much on corporate market and OEMs, practically giving up on marketing completely.
So now they are trying to improve their image, attacking the problem from different angles.
My experience with retail shops here in NZ is pretty poor - salesmen usually can't present anything more than basic computer/printer/... specs, notebooks and desktops are usually just sitting on desktops without any other software available, no internet connection... quite often they are not even logged on, so all potential customer can do is look at "enter your password" screen. In short, piss-poor presentation for home users.
A shop where personnel will be able to demo, say, Windows Media Centre on properly configured and connected PC... bunch of strong configs networked and loaded with some decent multiplayer games... couple of XBOX-es networked, equipped with steering wheels (which, coincidently, MS is making for XB) and good racing game... mini tournaments, new game/software titles mini presentations... home server features with media sharing etc... with additional hardware and software not only made by MS, but made for Windows... could help turning MS image from "boring, corporate" to "fun, entertaining".
Which is exactly challenge MS is facing.
Put all together, I think shops could be good idea, even if not commercial on their own. If executed right. So for me, question is not "can successful MS shop be done?", but "will MS do it right?". I guess that is something we'll have to wait for to see.
It's ironic that we consider this a "hard time" to open a retail store. It is actually a very easy time if you are Microsoft. Real estate is cheap, workers are plentiful, many malls have key storefronts that are looking for a tenant. Microsoft has oodles of cash. So, it is very easy for them to do this.
A retail store will help Microsoft get its corporate vision together. If something is missing -- or if something sucks -- it will be painfully obvious in their corporate store. Microsoft has so much money. They just need direction and corporate stores (with modern feedback) can give them some direction.
It's ironic that we consider this a "hard time" to open a retail store. It is actually a very easy time if you are Microsoft. Real estate is cheap, workers are plentiful, many malls have key storefronts that are looking for a tenant. Microsoft has oodles of cash. So, it is very easy for them to do this.
While crass the asshole comment is technically allowed on this forum since he merely states that he sounded like on, while not actually calling him one.
PS: Welcome to Thousand's Club. The Academy Awards has the Oscar, I think you get a coveted bronze Melgross at 1000 posts.
Haha, just saw this post. I am still waiting for the Melgross award though
... After impotently fighting back against the Apple Ads and mysteriously whimpering out. After Declaring that the Zune was in for the long haul and then the recent sales figures. After Balmer dissing the iPhone then telling his staff MS needs to be more Apple like - then announcing My Phone, and now this... They really do themselves a public relations disservice and don't need much help from the growing number of MS sceptics. As has been pointed out repeatedly, it would have been funny had it not been so sad.
Is the printer attached to a Mac? If so, same problem my friend has. 3 Vista PCs all share and use the printer fine when it's connected to one of them. Connect printer to the Mac and try sharing it, and it won't play ball at all. Six months later and still no resolution. Seems the Mac just doesn't want to play nice. If the printer is attached to a Mac, try connecting it to a Windows PC instead, and share it that way.
Not on a Mac actually the printer is on the .11n AirPort Extreme USB 2 port. It works fine an all Macs and PCs I have including Windows 7 running in Parallels 4. The only requirement in all cases on the PC side is to instal Bonjour from Apple.
Showcase MS technologies that most folks don't see:
WorldWide Telescope (With Wall-E animatronic as a guide)
Kodu for Kids
Surface
Photosynth
Seadragon
Have a set of 360 machines attached to large screens showing the latest games and video downloads. AS well as some PCs running some of the latest PC games, especially from MS Game Studios.
Then an area for Zune and ZunePhones.
Then an area for Windows 7 and Office showing nothing but (nameless) monitor and microsoft keyboard. Even here I would showcase things like pptPlex, and ChartAdvisor.
I'd have powerpoint classes and XNA (and Kodu) development classes to teach kids how to build games on the XBox vs a genius bar. I'd let the local MVPs and dev groups have their meetings in this space. I'd use the the stores as avenues to both promote developing cool projects built on MS technology and showcasing them to the public.
MS doesn't need retail sales as much as an image shift given they have only two real retail lines: Zune and Xbox. The rest is box sales of software which is none too sexy except maybe games.
I'd only have these in large metro areas. These stores would be cool, cater to kids and young adults and not so much sell Windows or specific MS products as much as sell Microsoft.
Think minature Disney/Epcot exhibit with an integrated museum shop that carried zunes, xboxes, controllers, games, and software.
Comments
I don't get what the big deal is or why people are convinced its Apple there copying. For years the likes of Sony, Panasonic etc all sold their products through other retailers, then they all started to figure why not open our own stores. Then Apple did the same, then Dell decided why not have stores as well. Now Microsoft are going to do it to, why not? Why not have a store that sells the hardware that runs Windows best and at the same time make a cut on the hardware as well as just software. Sure they may piss of a few other manufacturers but what are they going to do? Apple don't license OS X and linux isn't about to take over the world.
Also when people say what are MS going to put in the store, well they sell a lot more software than Apple, probably some PCs, Keybords etc that they sell, Zune, Xbox, Xbox games alone could probably fill half an average Apple store, support services. Lets face it the only thing they don't do that Apple do is make PCs, but there's nothing stopping them selling someone else's in the same way a lot of the stuff in the Apple store isn't made by Apple.
you need to work on your punctuation.
What an original idea: open retail stores "just like Apple". MyCrowSoft has demonstrated time after time again that they don't have any original ideas, never had, never will. They just don't have what it takes to copy Apple either. Everything they copied from Apple has been a failure. And in this business climate where Gateway, Palm, Circuit City, Comp USA have failed and MyCrowSoft's own retail store failed a few years ago. Go ahead Ballmer, go for it! This times a charm.
JoeCoolDaddio
And this would be appealing to me because?
If it had a Microsoft Surface with full-capability... Maybe.
If I could play a 360 on a 100+ inch screen... Possibly.
If I could throw darts at a poster at Steve Ballmer's tongue... Definitely!
No sources mate, personal opinion.
I have been with apple for 15 years, for me apple was a company that was about Apple computers, now its about Ipods/iphones. The unibody macbooks were frankly disappointing, great if your after eye candy, but an example that apple is catering for the masses.
Anyway, I personally believe there is merit in the Microsoft stores. Interested in how it pans out.
A Mac is a PC that runs OS X. SO pull your head out, you have to deal with the same shiity hardware that a PC user gets from nvidia.
I'm really glad to see there are still some reasonable posts (and posters) around here.
Most of the others only sound as if they are trying to hide their fear and extreme hate behind "smart" and "funny" comments. I actually asked my mother-in-law, who is psychiatrist, to read this thread and give me her opinion. She is completely out of IT sphere and knows nothing about Apple and Microsoft, and her first impression was "panic".
I really can't see a reason for that, folks - Apple is strong as, has it's own well defined image, market share and army of followers. Maybe it's something about being a minority. Dunno. Have more faith in Apple, people - they are here to stay.
Back to original thread... I don't think MS is expecting to improve it's income from shops, in fact I'd rather bet budget for shops is somewhat same like marketing budget, and whole idea is just that - another form of marketing. They realised that, in the last decade, they did rely so much on corporate market and OEMs, practically giving up on marketing completely.
So now they are trying to improve their image, attacking the problem from different angles.
My experience with retail shops here in NZ is pretty poor - salesmen usually can't present anything more than basic computer/printer/... specs, notebooks and desktops are usually just sitting on desktops without any other software available, no internet connection... quite often they are not even logged on, so all potential customer can do is look at "enter your password" screen. In short, piss-poor presentation for home users.
A shop where personnel will be able to demo, say, Windows Media Centre on properly configured and connected PC... bunch of strong configs networked and loaded with some decent multiplayer games... couple of XBOX-es networked, equipped with steering wheels (which, coincidently, MS is making for XB) and good racing game... mini tournaments, new game/software titles mini presentations... home server features with media sharing etc... with additional hardware and software not only made by MS, but made for Windows... could help turning MS image from "boring, corporate" to "fun, entertaining".
Which is exactly challenge MS is facing.
Put all together, I think shops could be good idea, even if not commercial on their own. If executed right. So for me, question is not "can successful MS shop be done?", but "will MS do it right?". I guess that is something we'll have to wait for to see.
A retail store will help Microsoft get its corporate vision together. If something is missing -- or if something sucks -- it will be painfully obvious in their corporate store. Microsoft has so much money. They just need direction and corporate stores (with modern feedback) can give them some direction.
It's ironic that we consider this a "hard time" to open a retail store. It is actually a very easy time if you are Microsoft. Real estate is cheap, workers are plentiful, many malls have key storefronts that are looking for a tenant. Microsoft has oodles of cash. So, it is very easy for them to do this.
That is an excellent point.
While crass the asshole comment is technically allowed on this forum since he merely states that he sounded like on, while not actually calling him one.
PS: Welcome to Thousand's Club. The Academy Awards has the Oscar, I think you get a coveted bronze Melgross at 1000 posts.
Haha, just saw this post. I am still waiting for the Melgross award though
... After impotently fighting back against the Apple Ads and mysteriously whimpering out. After Declaring that the Zune was in for the long haul and then the recent sales figures. After Balmer dissing the iPhone then telling his staff MS needs to be more Apple like - then announcing My Phone, and now this... They really do themselves a public relations disservice and don't need much help from the growing number of MS sceptics. As has been pointed out repeatedly, it would have been funny had it not been so sad.
OMG, I think I see a pattern ... !!!
Is the printer attached to a Mac? If so, same problem my friend has. 3 Vista PCs all share and use the printer fine when it's connected to one of them. Connect printer to the Mac and try sharing it, and it won't play ball at all. Six months later and still no resolution. Seems the Mac just doesn't want to play nice. If the printer is attached to a Mac, try connecting it to a Windows PC instead, and share it that way.
Not on a Mac actually the printer is on the .11n AirPort Extreme USB 2 port. It works fine an all Macs and PCs I have including Windows 7 running in Parallels 4. The only requirement in all cases on the PC side is to instal Bonjour from Apple.
Showcase MS technologies that most folks don't see:
WorldWide Telescope (With Wall-E animatronic as a guide)
Kodu for Kids
Surface
Photosynth
Seadragon
Have a set of 360 machines attached to large screens showing the latest games and video downloads. AS well as some PCs running some of the latest PC games, especially from MS Game Studios.
Then an area for Zune and ZunePhones.
Then an area for Windows 7 and Office showing nothing but (nameless) monitor and microsoft keyboard. Even here I would showcase things like pptPlex, and ChartAdvisor.
I'd have powerpoint classes and XNA (and Kodu) development classes to teach kids how to build games on the XBox vs a genius bar. I'd let the local MVPs and dev groups have their meetings in this space. I'd use the the stores as avenues to both promote developing cool projects built on MS technology and showcasing them to the public.
MS doesn't need retail sales as much as an image shift given they have only two real retail lines: Zune and Xbox. The rest is box sales of software which is none too sexy except maybe games.
I'd only have these in large metro areas. These stores would be cool, cater to kids and young adults and not so much sell Windows or specific MS products as much as sell Microsoft.
Think minature Disney/Epcot exhibit with an integrated museum shop that carried zunes, xboxes, controllers, games, and software.