Microsoft plans to counter Apple by building 75 retail stores in 2-3 years

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  • Reply 61 of 113
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    Apple stores sell tons of product and make more money per linear foot of shelf space than almost any other type of store.



    You are actually understating things by including the words "almost" and "type". The proper statistical fact is that the Apple retail stores outsell every other store in terms of $$ per square foot... and by a large margin. The number two store, which was "Tiffany's" last time I checked, didn't even come close.



    Thompson
  • Reply 62 of 113
    cloudgazercloudgazer Posts: 2,161member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pauldfullerton View Post


    But I can assure you if I was an American I would want to see the full benefits of Steve Jobs genius being reflected in a lower unemployment rate and a better trade balance with Asia. But I guess you guys are so committed to the 'cheaper is better' philosophy that drives companies like Microsoft, that more manufacturing jobs in America is not an issue! Just don't complain if the USA has to default on its US$14 trillion debt - at least you will be able to buy cheap Apple products made overseas if you manage to keep your jobs!



    You are as wrong in your assumption that I am American as you are in essentially every other way.
  • Reply 63 of 113
    mrstepmrstep Posts: 513member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cloudgazer View Post


    You are as wrong in your assumption that I am American as you are in essentially every other way.



    He may be wrong about your nationality, but he's unfortunately quite right about the $14 trillion dollar national debt and policy of exporting jobs that paid well while allowing massive illegal immigration to undercut low wage workers here - and send huge amounts of those wages out of the country as well. How do you see doubling the $ money supply in the past few years, rising unemployment, stagnant to falling real wages for decades, and the lack of fiscal responsibility and sound fiscal policies as positives? (And that's over the past 30+ years, not an Obama dig.)
  • Reply 64 of 113
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pauldfullerton View Post


    I am Australian so I couldn't care less if America wants to have a 9.2% unemployment rate, and if I can buy nearly twice as many US$ with an AU$ as I could a few years ago, and if Apple products are now much cheaper here.



    But I can assure you if I was an American I would want to see the full benefits of Steve Jobs genius being reflected in a lower unemployment rate and a better trade balance with Asia. But I guess you guys are so committed to the 'cheaper is better' philosophy that drives companies like Microsoft, that more manufacturing jobs in America is not an issue! Just don't complain if the USA has to default on its US$14 trillion debt - at least you will be able to buy cheap Apple products made overseas if you manage to keep your jobs!



    Oh, yeah. Australia is a manufacturing mecca. You're really one to talk.
  • Reply 65 of 113
    cloudgazercloudgazer Posts: 2,161member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by thompr View Post


    You are actually understating things by including the words "almost" and "type". The proper statistical fact is that the Apple retail stores outsell every other store in terms of $$ per square foot... and by a large margin. The number two store, which was "Tiffany's" last time I checked, didn't even come close.



    Thompson



    As with so many things, it's complicated. Analysts can calculate Apple's average Sales/sq-ft because Apple does publish it's total retail revenues. It's a bit more than $4000/sq-ft, which is pretty huge already.



    http://www.theiospost.com/latest/201...il-stores.html



    The Tiffany comparison is from this story http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=aK4TfewPa37M. Which is basically a real estate guy pulling a number out of the air.



    We do know that the stores in China are currently the highest grossing per square foot, but not how much more. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20...ag=topStories1
  • Reply 66 of 113
    rkevwillrkevwill Posts: 224member
    I thought thats what Best Buy and Wal Mart was for!
  • Reply 67 of 113
    cloudgazercloudgazer Posts: 2,161member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrstep View Post


    He may be wrong about your nationality, but he's unfortunately quite right about the $14 trillion dollar national debt and policy of exporting jobs that paid well while allowing massive illegal immigration to undercut low wage workers here - and send huge amounts of those wages out of the country as well. How do you see doubling the $ money supply in the past few years, rising unemployment, stagnant to falling real wages for decades, and the lack of fiscal responsibility and sound fiscal policies as positives? (And that's over the past 30+ years, not an Obama dig.)



    The national debt is less related to manufacturing than to the fact that you're on the tail end of two expensive wars, GOP tax-cuts and a the bursting of a monumental property bubble, leading to a huge recession. You had no more manufacturing during the Clinton era either, but back then the debt was well under control.



    The increase in the money supply is a sensible reaction to a deflationary shock, it would only be a bad thing if it had resulted in rampant inflation. US CPI is still a long way from hyper-inflation levels last I heard.



    America can still manufacture lots of things, but hugely labour intensive stuff like consumer electronics probably won't be one of them.
  • Reply 68 of 113
    poochpooch Posts: 768member
    there is some empty space in the san francisco metreon that might be a good spot for a microsoft store.



    oh, wait, that's why it's empty to begin with. it was already a microsoft store from 99-01. never mind.
  • Reply 69 of 113
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "Also shown off during this presentation was that an Apple retailer in Latin America was showing off Apple hardware running Windows 7," the report said. "Microsoft used this to poke fun that Apple makes fantastic hardware but their OS is still behind Windows 7."



    "Haha! See, they even run Windows 7 on their inferior Macs. Let us point at them and laugh! Haha!"



    "We will bury them with our mighty retail stores, which are just like their retail stores, but because we are Microsoft we will be popular and hip and people will love us."
  • Reply 70 of 113
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cloudgazer View Post


    Apple is a global company now, why should it prefer American to Chinese jobs? Especially when China is an increasingly important market for them.



    I think a good reason is due to the fact the china is increasingly tring to sneak back-doors into it's computer chips. Like they tried to do to the US military that would have allowed them to remotely shut down anything they were connected to.



    Here is the link: http://www.google.com/search?q=chine...&client=safari
  • Reply 71 of 113
    cloudgazercloudgazer Posts: 2,161member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MissionGrey View Post


    I think a good reason is due to the fact the china is increasingly tring to sneak back-doors into it's computer chips. Like they tried to do to the US military that would have allowed them to remotely shut down anything they were connected to.



    Here is the link: http://www.google.com/search?q=chine...&client=safari



    Well Apple's chips are being supplied by Samsung so I think you're safe. Honestly do you really think China is going to want to risk destroying its contract manufacturing business by sticking back-doors into the iPad? Critical military equipment it is not.



    Oh and those dodgy Chinese chips were knowingly sold to the US military by upstanding american citizens - so doesn't seem like on-shoring manufacturing will necessarily save you from the red peril.
  • Reply 72 of 113
    cloudgazercloudgazer Posts: 2,161member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pooch View Post


    there is some empty space in the san francisco metreon that might be a good spot for a microsoft store.



    oh, wait, that's why it's empty to begin with. it was already a microsoft store from 99-01. never mind.



    Microsoft, bringing you the world of yesterday, tomorrow.
  • Reply 73 of 113
    akhomerunakhomerun Posts: 386member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AaronD12 View Post


    Gateway stores here in Dallas: Gone.



    Dell stores here in Dallas: Gone.



    What makes Microsoft think they will succeed where Gateway and Dell failed? Opening stores across from Apple stores does not help them either. Apple has the retail thing down.



    In the Northpark mall in Dallas, there was a Dell store across from the Apple store. The largest number of customers I saw in the Dell store was 3. Yes, three. The Apple store is ALWAYS standing-room-only. It's about the retail experience, and from what I've seen of the Microsoft stores, they don't understand it yet. Even with a former Apple employee, I seriously doubt they'll be able to duplicate the "cool" factor the Apple stores have.



    The cool factor of Apple stores is an incredible asset. It's so hard to just not go in one when you see it. Even the most conventional mall Apple stores are hard to avoid. The visual appearance is so premium, timeless, and I think there's something about those bright lights that attracts you like an insect.



    I couldn't get my parents to switch back to Mac until we experienced the store multiple times and played with the machines. That was back when Best Buy had huge metal clamps that prevented you from using the laptops at all, and stupid demo software that prevented you from using the computer as well. I think the Apple computers in the Best Buy store are still the only ones with an unrestricted environment where you can get on the internet and see how much you would be saving by buying somewhere else
  • Reply 74 of 113
    I was visiting the mall of America and saw the MS store right across from the apple store (of course). It was hardly empty, there were people there, but it in no way was matching the bustle of the apple store. What struck me was how spread out the store was, there was tons of empty space, which isn't exactly common in that mall. You go in the apple store and there are hardware products everywhere, all nicely displayed with headphones in each device so you can play with them and iPad 2s to give you information. The MS store didn't really make sense. They're not selling hardware, but software, but it didn't seem like it was easy to test everything. The store associates we're helping people, but many seemed rather lost. Apple stores don't try and sell snow leopard/lion/iOS, they sell hardware. I dunno, it didn't seem terribly well thought out what "success" would mean in a software store.
  • Reply 75 of 113
    ash471ash471 Posts: 705member
    Does anyone see a problem with Microsoft's Map?

    The pin drop for "Lone Tree Colorado" is in Wyoming.



    I know Microsoft likes to waste money, but I never figured they would put a store in Big Horn national park. No wonder their sales are bad. They built a store in the middle of a national forest in Wyoming. Maybe they gave up on people buying computers and decided they would be more successful marketing to deer and squirrels.



    Another explanation is that Microsoft employees are so stupid they don't know the difference between Colorado and Wyoming. Microsoft is only 2 states away from Wyoming. You would think they would have a better grasp of West coast geography. These guys are an embarrassment to society.
  • Reply 76 of 113
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cloudgazer View Post


    Well Apple's chips are being supplied by Samsung so I think you're safe. Honestly do you really think China is going to want to risk destroying its contract manufacturing business by sticking back-doors into the iPad? Critical military equipment it is not.



    Oh and those dodgy Chinese chips were knowingly sold to the US military by upstanding american citizens - so doesn't seem like on-shoring manufacturing will necessarily save you from the red peril.





    Actually I do, there is end goal is to create chaos.



    Yeah and that is deff a major issue that should be fixed and have major repercussions, tho I doubt we will see any as more and more military manufacturing goes off site.
  • Reply 77 of 113
    ash471ash471 Posts: 705member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ash471 View Post


    Does anyone see a problem with Microsoft's Map?

    The pin drop for "Lone Tree Colorado" is in Wyoming.



    I know Microsoft likes to waste money, but I never figured they would put a store in Big Horn national park. No wonder their sales are bad. They built a store in the middle of a national forest in Wyoming. Maybe they gave up on people buying computers and decided they would be more successful marketing to deer and squirrels.



    Another explanation is that Microsoft employees are so stupid they don't know the difference between Colorado and Wyoming. Microsoft is only 2 states away from Wyoming. You would think they would have a better grasp of West coast geography. These guys are an embarrassment to society.



    It turns out there is a Lonetree Wyoming. However, it isn't in the place where the pin drop is. More importantly, according to wikipedia, the population is 61 people.



    I can see why Microsoft would have a hard time keeping track of the location of all its stores. No really, 11 is a big number for Microsoft. When they open up nearly 7 times the number of stores, they will probably need 7 times the number of employees, which means Redmond may soon employ another 280,000 people.
  • Reply 78 of 113
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gwilson811 View Post


    I was thinking about the Genius Bar as well. What will they do when they have irate customers show up at the store? Are they going to service their existing Windows etc. customers through the channel. Sounds like a poorly devised plan by a desperate CEO to me!



    And one can only imagine how long those lines will be with the bloated buggy crap they sell...
  • Reply 79 of 113
    dickprinterdickprinter Posts: 1,060member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 80025 View Post


    This is what can happen when you use Bing for geolocation data.



  • Reply 80 of 113
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cloudgazer View Post


    As with so many things, it's complicated. Analysts can calculate Apple's average Sales/sq-ft because Apple does publish it's total retail revenues.



    I don't see what makes it so complicated. Most companies that move so much retail merchandise don't really move a significant fraction any other way (unlike Apple). So go ahead and use their total revenue in the numerator. I bet you still find out that Apple beats them on the revenue per square foot metric.



    Thompson
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