If only Apple would upgrade the look of their Stores like the new Sony Store

[gkarris]

Apple set the standard for:

PC GUI OS's
All-In-One Computers
MP3 Players
Touchscreen Smartphones
Tablet Computing

and now....

Electronic Stores!

Microsoft has one-upped Apple on their store - now Sony has upped both...

That's great - looking forward to Sony upgrading their stores around Chicago.

Right now, they look like "blue" versions of Circuit City...

 

[johnnyturbouk]

I'm not sure you know what that word means. I, in my entire life, have never found anyone objective (without bias).

lol, was thinking this too lol

my opinion = subjective account for e.g.
an objective report - e.g one without bias, based on facts

OP is obviously trolling - needs to go hide under a bridge where he/she/it belongs - along with their vaio and walkman

 

[JoeG4]

I wish they wouldn't copy apple lol. Sony is Sony, not Apple.

Admittedly, Apple did the MS stunt too - the SF Apple store is located in a line directly across from the Metreon. XD

That, and the Metreon was infinitely cooler than any Apple store. Sad thing was nobody knew what it was or cared so it all went bust and now it's just a Target and a movie theater *gag*

 

[GimmeSlack12]

Not to point out the obvious, but since no one has mentioned it.

If you've been in one Apple store, you've pretty much been in all of the Apple Stores. From San Francisco, to New York, to London I've been in Apple stores and they're all nearly identical.

So if Apple changes the design (IKEA tables and white walls) of one store they would be changing the design of ALL their stores. No problem for Sony to do this with their 15 shops, but there's hundreds of Apple stores.

People don't go to the Apple store for the decor, they go for the products.

 

[rdowns]

Not to point out the obvious, but since no one has mentioned it.

If you've been in one Apple store, you've pretty much been in all of the Apple Stores. From San Francisco, to New York, to London I've been in Apple stores and they're all nearly identical.

So if Apple changes the design (IKEA tables and white walls) of one store they would be changing the design of ALL their stores. No problem for Sony to do this with their 15 shops, but there's hundreds of Apple stores.

People don't go to the Apple store for the decor, they go for the products.

The so-called Ikea tables and white walls are not the decor, the Apple products are the decor.

 

[iVeBeenDrinkin']

It looks like Sony is copying the Apple store look to me.

 

[*LTD*]

It looks like Sony is copying the Apple store look to me.

They're trying to go for differentiation. That is, pulling off what Apple does so well.

Problem is, Sony has no defining style. Add to that, the computer products run Windows. You don't get much more generic than that.

They make great TVs, though. Really without peer in that department. I'd say Samsung's #2 beside them.

Oh and there's the PS3. And TVs too!

Did I mention the PS3 yet?

They make great TVs.

 

[iVeBeenDrinkin']

They're trying to go for differentiation. That is, pulling off what Apple does so well.

Problem is, Sony has no defining style. Add to that, the computer products run Windows. You don't get much more generic than that.

They make great TVs, though. Really without peer in that department. I'd say Samsung's #2 beside them.

Oh and there's the PS3. And TVs too!

Did I mention the PS3 yet?

They make great TVs.

Love their tvs and the PS3!

 

[Hal Jordan]

It looks like Sony is copying the Apple store look to me.

Far from copying. The new Sony Store just looks more modern and interactive while the Apple Store looks more industrial and need of a make over. Nothing wrong with either design. But the thing to remember is Apple did not create the minimalist design philosophy. Were they the first in electronics stores to do so? I really don't know. But if they were, it still doesn't mean another brand is copying by using a minimalist décor.
But as I stated, I give Sony credit for using that philosophy without coming off as a IKEA inspired look.

 

[gkarris]

Love their tvs and the PS3!

Yes, that's the nice thing.... it'll be fun to visit the newly designed Sony Stores.

At the Microsoft Store, I can go and try some XBox 360 games.

At the Apple Store, good luck trying anything out. The teens are all on the computers for their Facebook or Skype account, and the kids are all on the iPhone/Touch/iPad playing "Angry Birds"...

 

[Alaerian]

You are the most ill informed, biased, inconsiderate, closed minded fool I have ever had the displeasure of sharing a planet with.
<...>
No one likes you or your over the top opinions which makes even the most diehard fanboys shy away into a corner and cry.

Same to you, buddy. Pot, meet kettle.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Same to you, buddy. Pot, meet kettle.

I guess you haven't ever read any of LTD's posts before...

 

[JoeG4]

Problem is, Sony has no defining style.

Not necessarily - the thing about Sony is they have design language that gets used on a lot of their hardware and has been around a long time, but they also make things that don't follow that. For example, many Vaio laptops have a barrel-style hinge:

^ check out the X505 lol. Apple got a lot of inspiration from some of Sony's laptops.

Conversely, Sony has had a lot of inspiration from Apple - They wanted the VAIO line to run Mac OS but apple refused to license it to them.

Actually here's another Mac vs Vaio hehe.

Would you believe those little guys had 1600x768 screens?

Yea, I think the barrel hinge has always been one of their trademarks (too bad they don't use it much):

^ I had one of those desktops. Was a dang good desktop AND it had USB.. in 96 :O The monitor was awesome too, but the side door of the case would keep falling off lol.

 

[spillproof]

The Sony Store actually seems cool. The Sony Style store near my home was awful. It was boring, drab, and very unappealing for wanting to spend money. Hopefully these new store designs, or at lease main ideas, get pushed to the Style stores.

A Vaio was my next choice in computer if I didn't get my MBP.

 

[weckart]

They make great TVs, though. Really without peer in that department. I'd say Samsung's #2 beside them.

They make great TVs.

Oh, God no. Panasonic and Pioneer > Sony. Sony has some QC issues with its TVs, but are by no means the worst.

 

[roadbloc]

I had one of those desktops. Was a dang good desktop AND it had USB.. in 96 :O The monitor was awesome too, but the side door of the case would keep falling off lol.

I agree. If you're looking for a solid PC, a Sony Vaio is the brand you want. None of the ones I have had have ever let me down.

So if Apple changes the design (IKEA tables and white walls) of one store they would be changing the design of ALL their stores. No problem for Sony to do this with their 15 shops, but there's hundreds of Apple stores.

Um... I'm pretty certain Sony has a lot more than 15 stores. In fact, (I may be wrong here) I have the feeling they have more than Apple.

 

[Alaerian]

I agree. If you're looking for a solid PC but you don't want to put your own together and would feel more comfortable if someone did it for you, a machine from iBuyPower or CyberPowerPC is the brand you want.

Fixed that for you.

Seriously, don't ever ever ever ever ever EVER buy a PC off the shelf from a "Best Buy" brand - Sony, HP, Compaq, etc. You're wasting your money.

 

[roadbloc]

Seriously, don't ever ever ever ever ever EVER buy a PC off the shelf from a "Best Buy" brand - Sony, HP, Compaq, etc. You're wasting your money.

I guess you don't use Apple's computers then. Have you ever used a Sony Vaio? They are high spec'd, durable and don't have Apple tax. My Vaio 505 notebook outlived over 6 of my cousin's Dell, Samsung and Compaq computers. I still dig it out every now and then and it still runs a treat, which is more than I can say for my 2008 Macbook.

 

[Alaerian]

Have I used a Sony Vaio? Why yes, I have. I've also used Compaq, Dell, and HP. I've also sold these brands (excluding Dell) plus several more.

If it's possible to cram more pointless bloatware on a machine, I don't know how. Those machines used disgustingly crappy parts and are filled with the most godawful "software" I've ever seen. If you're happy with a Vaio, be my guest, but I wouldn't force one of them on anyone. They may be "high-spec'd," but that doesn't mean anything if the parts are inferior.

Also, you clearly knew what I meant by "Best Buy" brand. Grasping at straws now, aren't we?

 

[JoeG4]

I actually wouldn't put it past Cyberpower to throw a bunch of crap in a really cheap case either. That, and my current Vaio is a laptop. If I wanted a desktop I'd probably build one.

The build quality of my Vaio is worlds better than anything Apple ever made out of plastic, barring maybe the original iBooks or the G3/G4 towers (and maybe the DVSE iMacs, maybe the G4 iMacs!)

The rectangular iBooks and the MacBooks have proven to be mostly junk so far. I'm kinda surprised everyone on this board goes off about how awesome Apple build quality is. Really now. Hell, I'm surprised Apple hasn't had a mentionable loss replacing the palm rest/keyboard/trackpad on MacBooks because they probably have done that on at least half of the MacBooks they've sold now. (it was great that they changed it!)

 

[roadbloc]

Also, you clearly knew what I meant by "Best Buy" brand. Grasping at straws now, aren't we?

I have no idea what you meant by 'Best Buy' or whatever, and I think you are talking rubbish. But heigh-ho, we all have our opinions.

I was going to post a reply in argument, but I can already tell you are not going to be convinced. Whichever way you look at it, my 1998 Vaio Notebook has outlived my MacBook, and the Vaio has been through much more than the MacBook ever did.

I like Vaios. They are tough, run a dream and have a high reselling price.

 

[Alaerian]

The rectangular iBooks and the MacBooks have proven to be mostly junk so far.

[citation needed]


My Macbook is perfectly fine. No issues.

 

[Abstract]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A293 Safari/6531.22.7)

Apple Stores have a signature look. Doesn't mean their look isn't boring. A store designed with yuppies in mind.

Still, I like the Apple Stores themselves, and that's what matters. They have everything on display for you to test, and you're left alone more often than not. You can't really say the same thing about Best Buy (Canada). Their TVs are on display for anyone to look at, but many of the laptops on display time out and go to sleep, and they require a password to get to the desktop! That, and they don't give you internet freedom like Apple does.

I think you're right about the design of Apple shops, especially the white walls. And it would be nice if individual stores could make themselves slightly unique. I'm not talking about a lot of individualism (there's no way Apple would stand for that), but a touch here and there would be nice!

 

[KnightWRX]

No problem for Sony to do this with their 15 shops, but there's hundreds of Apple stores.

You do realise Sony has been in the retail game since 1970 and has more stores open than Apple right ?

Just a quick question to gauge your grasp of reality.

 

[gnasher729]

This thread was about retail stores, but since you brought it up, I don't see anything wrong with Sony protecting their investment and hence their shareholders. Do you also have a problem with Artist going after people who download their music without paying? Do you hate Sony for any particular reason? People who try to steal things and then get upset over the fact the person your stealing from is legally coming after you need to get a clue. This would include you since you find Sony so wrong for doing so.

Well, it is a different situation. First, they are suing an individual living somewhere on the east coast of the USA and desperately try to prove that a court five thousand miles away should have jurisdiction, apparently because the guy has a Paypal account and Paypal happens to reside in California. Second, the company suing is some Sony owned company which sells the PS3 in the USA; they claim to have the copyrights for the software in the PS3 but they don't actually own it. The copyright owner is Sony Japan, not Sony USA. Third, one of those who you think are stealing from Sony is the US Air Force, which bought 2,000 PS3s to build a cheap, small supercomputer. Sony then released a software update that when applied make these 2,000 PS3s unusable for the purpose they were bought for.

Really? The reason people hack the PS3 is so they can play pirated games. Make sense now?

And I thought they hacked the PS3 to be able to run Linux on it while also being able to play legitimate games. Which was possible for a long time, until Sony removed that possibility. And the hack that allows this was not published until after Sony removed that possibility. This is like someone creating a hack that allows Macs to run Windows if Apple removed Bootcamp.

And that company that installed rootkits on their customers' PCs, what was their name? Wasn't that Sony?

Seriously, Sony has a very, very painful relationship to copy preventation. It cost them the leadership in the music player market. Started with their Minidisc players years ago that everyone loved except for copy protection. Then an MP3 player that couldn't play MP3s because they feared the pirates. They could have been Apple and their lawyers threw it away.