Everything we need to know about Microsoft was revealed to us in The Wizard of Oz... "Don't look at that man behind the curtain!!!"...the rest is just details.
If you realize anything about Apple stores the majority of the people inside are never buying, they are for the most part there to get support on their unreliable products that are having issues.
Microsoft's Surface recently became the companies 7th billion dollar entity. Meaning the company could divide into 7 different billion dollar complains.
MS stores are packed during the holidays with people that are actually buying and I can tell you from experience that the quality of technical people working at these stores are far superior to any "genius" I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.
All in all the MS stores were built to be an extension of customer support and give a face to Microsoft. Believe me when I say the stores would close if they were not making money.
PS - @Daniel Eran Dilger. You do realize Windows 7 is the best selling operating system of all time and that Xbox Kinect hold the world record for the fastest selling technology device ever.
It reflects poorly on a journalist when they display such an obvious level of bias. I think it's good thing for a journalist take a position on an issue when there is strong evidence to support that position. But I've seen various cases where DED has exaggerated and misrepresented the facts at hand to make a dubious statement.
Even though I tend to agree with him, this bias makes him an unreliable narrator and makes me question the accuracy of everything he writes.
Many people accuse John Gruber of being an Apple fanboy, but I always find his pieces to be well reasoned and backed up with facts. He doesn't routinely cherry pick the sources he cites to support his views, and he will occasionally praise an Apple competitor on the rare occasion when they reveal a nice product (example: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2015/10/06/surface-book)
Microsoft served a strong hand yesterday: HoloLens with an awesome demo, convertible tablet with stylus, Surface 4, new phone that can be used like a PC. Their stores will definitely get busier in the next few weeks. Apple's stock in falling like a freaking rock! I hope they have something to show for, Tim's only new hand was the AppleWatch, and it was a major meh. I miss Jobs, he would have smacked Microsoft across the face with something that set them 10 years behind. But now it seems Microsoft is catching up quickly, it's the 90's all over again.
I don't get it. Microsoft is a software company. The enormous majority of their products can be downloaded. For them, opening retail stores never made sense to me.
Right on. Now if MS gave deals in their store, like a weekly free Office draw, they might pick up some business.
Lets face it MS isn't retail knowledgable, they have lived very well for years off of business IT.
In our major mall in Burnaby, BC, CDA the Apple store is located in a busy spot where most walk by. It's very busy.
Also there are many comfortable outside the Apple store, where many sit using the WiFi.
The Apple store is off limits for me after mid afternoon when school day ends. Difficult to find standing room.
The MS store is in the basement, down a lightly used hall. I went there once, it was very quiet and nothing much to see !
Microsoft served a strong hand yesterday: HoloLens with an awesome demo, convertible tablet with stylus, Surface 4, new phone that can be used like a PC. Their stores will definitely get busier in the next few weeks. Apple's stock in falling like a freaking rock! I hope they have something to show for, Tim's only new hand was the AppleWatch, and it was a major meh. I miss Jobs, he would have smacked Microsoft across the face with something that set them 10 years behind. But now it seems Microsoft is catching up quickly, it's the 90's all over again.
I see what you are saying but to assume that there is nothing new in the pipeline for Apple other than the Watch (or a larger iPad) seems a little premature. The new iPhones seem to look and feel great (I haven't used one yet) and will sell in record numbers, again. Apple will continue to make great products.
Microsoft is doing some neat things too no doubt. Both the Surface 4 and the Surface Book look great. Even those new Lumias look pretty decent. Until the Hololens hits the market though, its really not much more than a great looking demo. I really hope that Microsoft can deliver on Hololens. Fingers crossed.
I have been using color macs since 1987. A period of almost 28 years. I am an Apple fan.
Microsoft has a strong business and does not serve the same role as Apple does. Microsoft is still the business enterprise solution. Apple is still the home and educational computing (to an extent) leader.
They are both unspeakably, unimaginably rich. Now that iOS has addicted much of the world's population, fine. But Enterprise is just as addicted to MSFT. You will be paying MSFT for the next fifty years. Assuming any of us lives that long. Apple will never die, I think, but I am damn sure Microsoft will never die either.
Making fun of one or the other... please. It is 100% certain you (and I) are nothing compared to either Apple or MSFT.
Both companies will eventually die, because that's what happens. Unless they get better at anticipating technology sea changes, Microsoft will die long before Apple.
Right on. Now if MS gave deals in their store, like a weekly free Office draw, they might pick up some business.
Lets face it MS isn't retail knowledgable, they have lived very well for years off of business IT.
In our major mall in Burnaby, BC, CDA the Apple store is located in a busy spot where most walk by. It's very busy.
Also there are many comfortable outside the Apple store, where many sit using the WiFi.
The Apple store is off limits for me after mid afternoon when school day ends. Difficult to find standing room.
The MS store is in the basement, down a lightly used hall. I went there once, it was very quiet and nothing much to see !
Oh Hello. Metrotown Apple Store is on the Upper Level next to Lululemon, Microsoft is on the lower-level (not basement) in the wing above the T&T and probably lost a chunk of it's foot traffic from Target closing. Samsung's store is in a very prime location near the front of the mall at the main concourse, and is always empty. There used to be a Sony store but I think they pulled out some time last year.
Same thing at the mall near where I live -- there's an Apple store and a Microsoft store. I always make a point to walk past the Microsoft store to see if there is any real traffic in there. Never more than maybe 5 customers in there and they're outnumbered by the employees. I don't even know how they break even on the retail space in this mall, as it's very expensive in that mall. OTOH, the Apple store is always packed -- weekdays or weekends, doesn't matter.
Here... Apple store is always packed. Microsoft store: More employees than staff. Though the WiFi/Xbox running Just Dance in perpetuity is popular as a baby-sitter. This mall has an arcade on the other side of the mall, which I've never seen anyone in recently.
To be honest the Samsung store tends to be more empty than the Microsoft store.
Many people accuse John Gruber of being an Apple fanboy, but I always find his pieces to be well reasoned and backed up with facts. He doesn't routinely cherry pick the sources he cites to support his views, and he will occasionally praise an Apple competitor on the rare occasion when they reveal a nice product (example: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2015/10/06/surface-book)
Gruber is an Apple fanboy, no two ways about it. While he may praise a competitor, he will rarely ever criticize Apple. He knows his viewership and wants to stay in Apple's good books. Nothing wrong with that, especially since none of this is journalism but rather, opinions and conjecture.
Gruber is an Apple fanboy, no two ways about it. While he may praise a competitor, he will rarely ever criticize Apple. He knows his viewership and wants to stay in Apple's good books. Nothing wrong with that, especially since none of this is journalism but rather, opinions and conjecture.
That sounds a lot like folks saying Apple intentionally degrades performance on older iPhones to force people to upgrade. It reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what drives the company or person, and is likely a case of the accuser projecting their own ethical shortcomings onto their target.
You can argue that Gruber is biased in favor of Apple, but to do so without citing examples doesn't carry much weight. You can disagree with someone without calling them a fanboy.
I've definitely seen him criticize Apple, though not in the usual click-baity tone of anti-Apple writers.
For example, he has repeatedly expressed dismay with Apple's strategy of offering 16GB entry level iPhones. While doing so, he has pointed out some of the business and marketing reasons why they do so while opining that he feels they risk long term damage to their brand as a result. He has criticized Apple's past anti-scalping tactics, which regardless of their motivation resulted in limiting job and income opportunities for employees. He criticized their debacle with backdated executive options, expressing surprise that their legal counsel even allowed it.
Gruber seems to choose very carefully what he writes, and on the rare occasion when he's proven wrong fe has fessed up to it.
Daniel Dilger is a better example of an Apple-fanatic. Though I generally agree with his take, and he has produced some great pieces chock full of juicy data analysis to prove his point, I've also seen him distort and omit facts make a point, and rant ad nauseum against Apple competitors past the point of reason.
Bottom line: there are a lot of people in their 30s on up who feel wronged in some way by Microsoft. That's a heck of a lot to overcome.
nailed it. im an enterprise MS developer, and even i dislike the company and its products... i cant tell you how much of my life has been wasted re-installing windows.
and yep i remember those IRQ conflicts, setting jumpers on modems...good times.
If I had a choice to work at either the Microsoft store or Apple Store, I'd probably choose Micro. Seems like a chill place. Apple STore is like a zoo, so crowded.
youre better off w/ the busier place, makes the time go by faster.
This is what makes me truly believe Apple is starting to see Microsoft as a real threat. I've been a fan of Apple before the iPhone came & even more so after it came out, but when the iPhone 5 was released that's when I began to question why I felt so passionate about them & would act as by owning Apple products made me feel better then those who has had Android or Microsoft products.
But as the devices that they've been producing are always so predicable now & they use New Catch Phrases to make you think they invented or reinvented a whole new device. It was Retina this Retina that for a few years, but what really got me was "Force Touch", as soon as I heard that I knew people would be in Awe of this invention. But it's not something new, all they did was update the trackpad on the laptop & decided let's put it on Apple Watch to use it as a marketing tool. To make things even better, like always for "S" upgrade cycles they needed something new & since people associate Force Touch with the watch let's add that feature to the iPhone but instead call it "3D Touch" & create that feeling that your current iPhone is so far behind the times. And what will iPhone 7 bring?!?! Wireless Charging & call it "Self Charging"
My point is Microsoft is really starting to impress me with their product designs & being what Apple once was & they are being innovative. While Apple is sitting back & basically adding features to their devices that users have been wanting & on other devices for a few years, Microsoft is creating new device categories.
Oh and the most frustrating part is that their iOS & OS X have become increasingly unstable with bug fixes almost every other week I'm thinking they should just do a monthly patching at this point.
But what do I know, I'm just an idiot now for calling out what don't see or want hear about. And I can't wait for the comments that are sure to call me an idiot. I guess I'm not on that level where I need to defend Apple in a way that makes one look foolish in regards to what lengths they'd go to in order to defend a Company in such a harsh manor...
Microsoft served a strong hand yesterday: HoloLens with an awesome demo, convertible tablet with stylus, Surface 4, new phone that can be used like a PC. Their stores will definitely get busier in the next few weeks. Apple's stock in falling like a freaking rock! I hope they have something to show for, Tim's only new hand was the AppleWatch, and it was a major meh. I miss Jobs, he would have smacked Microsoft across the face with something that set them 10 years behind. But now it seems Microsoft is catching up quickly, it's the 90's all over again.
Gruber is an Apple fanboy, no two ways about it. While he may praise a competitor, he will rarely ever criticize Apple. He knows his viewership and wants to stay in Apple's good books. Nothing wrong with that, especially since none of this is journalism but rather, opinions and conjecture.
nope. Gruber often criticizes apple, you just havent been paying attention. ive read every post and heard every podcast for years, and this is a fact. id bed[@]Rogifan[/@] could confirm.
people dont like Gruber and throw that accusation like you did, because he's so very often right, and his reasoning is hard to beat.
Comments
...which is why those playable X-Box displays must be so important to them. They're a long term investment for the under-30 mindshare, perhaps?
that's why the new AppleTV is so scary for Microsoft. If it makes a serious dent in the console market it will hurt Micro really bad.
I think I have a new fantasy that I would love to see happen. It's had to have been mentioned here before more than likely. Possibly by you.
Apple buys Nintendo and rolls it into an Apple TV.
Also combining the best of Nintendo and the best of Apple to make a dedicated hand-held gaming console might be something amazing.
Where they each have their strengths they would complement each other nicely.
Microsoft's Surface recently became the companies 7th billion dollar entity. Meaning the company could divide into 7 different billion dollar complains.
MS stores are packed during the holidays with people that are actually buying and I can tell you from experience that the quality of technical people working at these stores are far superior to any "genius" I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.
All in all the MS stores were built to be an extension of customer support and give a face to Microsoft. Believe me when I say the stores would close if they were not making money.
PS - @Daniel Eran Dilger. You do realize Windows 7 is the best selling operating system of all time and that Xbox Kinect hold the world record for the fastest selling technology device ever.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
It reflects poorly on a journalist when they display such an obvious level of bias. I think it's good thing for a journalist take a position on an issue when there is strong evidence to support that position. But I've seen various cases where DED has exaggerated and misrepresented the facts at hand to make a dubious statement.
Even though I tend to agree with him, this bias makes him an unreliable narrator and makes me question the accuracy of everything he writes.
Many people accuse John Gruber of being an Apple fanboy, but I always find his pieces to be well reasoned and backed up with facts. He doesn't routinely cherry pick the sources he cites to support his views, and he will occasionally praise an Apple competitor on the rare occasion when they reveal a nice product (example: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2015/10/06/surface-book)
As an unabashed Apple fanboy, I come here for succor. When I want journalism I click on The Economist.
Microsoft served a strong hand yesterday: HoloLens with an awesome demo, convertible tablet with stylus, Surface 4, new phone that can be used like a PC. Their stores will definitely get busier in the next few weeks. Apple's stock in falling like a freaking rock! I hope they have something to show for, Tim's only new hand was the AppleWatch, and it was a major meh. I miss Jobs, he would have smacked Microsoft across the face with something that set them 10 years behind. But now it seems Microsoft is catching up quickly, it's the 90's all over again.
I don't get it. Microsoft is a software company. The enormous majority of their products can be downloaded. For them, opening retail stores never made sense to me.
Right on. Now if MS gave deals in their store, like a weekly free Office draw, they might pick up some business.
Lets face it MS isn't retail knowledgable, they have lived very well for years off of business IT.
In our major mall in Burnaby, BC, CDA the Apple store is located in a busy spot where most walk by. It's very busy.
Also there are many comfortable outside the Apple store, where many sit using the WiFi.
The Apple store is off limits for me after mid afternoon when school day ends. Difficult to find standing room.
The MS store is in the basement, down a lightly used hall. I went there once, it was very quiet and nothing much to see !
Microsoft served a strong hand yesterday: HoloLens with an awesome demo, convertible tablet with stylus, Surface 4, new phone that can be used like a PC. Their stores will definitely get busier in the next few weeks. Apple's stock in falling like a freaking rock! I hope they have something to show for, Tim's only new hand was the AppleWatch, and it was a major meh. I miss Jobs, he would have smacked Microsoft across the face with something that set them 10 years behind. But now it seems Microsoft is catching up quickly, it's the 90's all over again.
I see what you are saying but to assume that there is nothing new in the pipeline for Apple other than the Watch (or a larger iPad) seems a little premature. The new iPhones seem to look and feel great (I haven't used one yet) and will sell in record numbers, again. Apple will continue to make great products.
Microsoft is doing some neat things too no doubt. Both the Surface 4 and the Surface Book look great. Even those new Lumias look pretty decent. Until the Hololens hits the market though, its really not much more than a great looking demo. I really hope that Microsoft can deliver on Hololens. Fingers crossed.
I have been using color macs since 1987. A period of almost 28 years. I am an Apple fan.
Microsoft has a strong business and does not serve the same role as Apple does. Microsoft is still the business enterprise solution. Apple is still the home and educational computing (to an extent) leader.
They are both unspeakably, unimaginably rich. Now that iOS has addicted much of the world's population, fine. But Enterprise is just as addicted to MSFT. You will be paying MSFT for the next fifty years. Assuming any of us lives that long. Apple will never die, I think, but I am damn sure Microsoft will never die either.
Making fun of one or the other... please. It is 100% certain you (and I) are nothing compared to either Apple or MSFT.
Both companies will eventually die, because that's what happens. Unless they get better at anticipating technology sea changes, Microsoft will die long before Apple.
Here... Apple store is always packed. Microsoft store: More employees than staff. Though the WiFi/Xbox running Just Dance in perpetuity is popular as a baby-sitter. This mall has an arcade on the other side of the mall, which I've never seen anyone in recently.
To be honest the Samsung store tends to be more empty than the Microsoft store.
Gruber is an Apple fanboy, no two ways about it. While he may praise a competitor, he will rarely ever criticize Apple. He knows his viewership and wants to stay in Apple's good books. Nothing wrong with that, especially since none of this is journalism but rather, opinions and conjecture.
Gruber is an Apple fanboy, no two ways about it. While he may praise a competitor, he will rarely ever criticize Apple. He knows his viewership and wants to stay in Apple's good books. Nothing wrong with that, especially since none of this is journalism but rather, opinions and conjecture.
That sounds a lot like folks saying Apple intentionally degrades performance on older iPhones to force people to upgrade. It reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what drives the company or person, and is likely a case of the accuser projecting their own ethical shortcomings onto their target.
You can argue that Gruber is biased in favor of Apple, but to do so without citing examples doesn't carry much weight. You can disagree with someone without calling them a fanboy.
I've definitely seen him criticize Apple, though not in the usual click-baity tone of anti-Apple writers.
For example, he has repeatedly expressed dismay with Apple's strategy of offering 16GB entry level iPhones. While doing so, he has pointed out some of the business and marketing reasons why they do so while opining that he feels they risk long term damage to their brand as a result. He has criticized Apple's past anti-scalping tactics, which regardless of their motivation resulted in limiting job and income opportunities for employees. He criticized their debacle with backdated executive options, expressing surprise that their legal counsel even allowed it.
Gruber seems to choose very carefully what he writes, and on the rare occasion when he's proven wrong fe has fessed up to it.
Daniel Dilger is a better example of an Apple-fanatic. Though I generally agree with his take, and he has produced some great pieces chock full of juicy data analysis to prove his point, I've also seen him distort and omit facts make a point, and rant ad nauseum against Apple competitors past the point of reason.
nailed it. im an enterprise MS developer, and even i dislike the company and its products... i cant tell you how much of my life has been wasted re-installing windows.
and yep i remember those IRQ conflicts, setting jumpers on modems...good times.
Maybe things will improve for them in the retail space, with their latest pretty-strong lineup of new products?
youre better off w/ the busier place, makes the time go by faster.
But as the devices that they've been producing are always so predicable now & they use New Catch Phrases to make you think they invented or reinvented a whole new device. It was Retina this Retina that for a few years, but what really got me was "Force Touch", as soon as I heard that I knew people would be in Awe of this invention. But it's not something new, all they did was update the trackpad on the laptop & decided let's put it on Apple Watch to use it as a marketing tool. To make things even better, like always for "S" upgrade cycles they needed something new & since people associate Force Touch with the watch let's add that feature to the iPhone but instead call it "3D Touch" & create that feeling that your current iPhone is so far behind the times. And what will iPhone 7 bring?!?! Wireless Charging & call it "Self Charging"
My point is Microsoft is really starting to impress me with their product designs & being what Apple once was & they are being innovative. While Apple is sitting back & basically adding features to their devices that users have been wanting & on other devices for a few years, Microsoft is creating new device categories.
Oh and the most frustrating part is that their iOS & OS X have become increasingly unstable with bug fixes almost every other week I'm thinking they should just do a monthly patching at this point.
But what do I know, I'm just an idiot now for calling out what don't see or want hear about. And I can't wait for the comments that are sure to call me an idiot. I guess I'm not on that level where I need to defend Apple in a way that makes one look foolish in regards to what lengths they'd go to in order to defend a Company in such a harsh manor...
oh dear lord.... tell me -- are you "concerned"?
nope. Gruber often criticizes apple, you just havent been paying attention. ive read every post and heard every podcast for years, and this is a fact. id bed[@]Rogifan[/@] could confirm.
people dont like Gruber and throw that accusation like you did, because he's so very often right, and his reasoning is hard to beat.