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iBookG4user

macrumors 604
Jun 27, 2006
6,595
2
Seattle, WA
It is interesting that they would consider a retail outlet. I can see why they would want the greater freedom to advertise what they want and sell what they want, but I don't think this is the right time to get into the market. If they wanted to get into the market a couple of years ago then it would have made a lot more sense than the current economic state. I hope it makes Apple more competitive and in the end makes it better for the consumer.
 

johnsy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 15, 2006
443
0
If I was working in Microsoft, I would do only thing- watch apple commercials. There you can see Microsoft's flaws. And the longer you will deny that there is a problem the more market share you will loose. Soon Microsoft will be just in history books!

Windows seven - delivered to you in 2012! It functions as Vista should have been.

Meanwhile I will be writing that on Clouded Leopard.
 

Ariez

macrumors regular
Jul 20, 2007
138
1
If I was working in Microsoft, I would do only thing- watch apple commercials. There you can see Microsoft's flaws. And the longer you will deny that there is a problem the more market share you will loose. Soon Microsoft will be just in history books!

Windows seven - delivered to you in 2012! It functions as Vista should have been.

Meanwhile I will be writing that on Clouded Leopard.
Why not let Apple have a market share larger than 10% before counting one of the biggest corporation in the world that donates more money to charity than any other and employs more than 90,000 people?
 

dimme

macrumors 68040
Feb 14, 2007
3,266
32,206
SF, CA
Microsoft had a store here in San Francisco a few years ago. I guess it was a test store. Anyway it was great place to see windows programs set up on different computers. Along with syncing tools for mobile devices and all srt of other gadgets. I hope they do bring it back!
 

Samuriajackon

macrumors 6502
Feb 9, 2009
304
1
I'd offer training and classes at these MS stores, cause I think the average person would buy into that. Who wants to learn about Adware/Spyware Removal AND has 50$ in their pockets? Everyone with your hand raised is quite welcome.
:D
 

nick9191

macrumors 68040
Feb 17, 2008
3,407
313
Britain
What are they going to sell in there?

Other OEM's computers?
Xbox? But then they have tried to keep the Xbox brand as far away as possible from the Microsoft name because they have absolutely wrecked their brand image.
Zune, who cares they've sold about 10 anyway.
Software.

Going to be pretty confusing for buyers. "I got my computer from Dell, can I take it to a Microsoft store to be serviced?" If you buy a computer from the store and it needs to be serviced do they then have to send it off to the respective OEM? Unlike Apple who will service it in store within a couple of hours/days.

Are they going to sell high quality PC's or bargain bin? If they go after high quality and expensive, Apple dominates this market by far, if they go low and cheap will that further hurt their brand image?

Which OEM's will they be stocking?
 

johnsy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 15, 2006
443
0
Microsoft just desperate. It tries to do whatever they can not to lose a grip. There is only way to do that- make good products! I don't care about wow factors in ads. Wow factor comes just from one source- it works... natural way, as if someone read my mind and implemented that into software.

I am not against Microsoft entirely. I own XP and use it once a week, or at work every day. I also would like to see some competition to apple or whatever will dominate in the future. I am impressed with linux right now and Vista is the least thing I would use.
 

Jack Comrie

macrumors newbie
Jul 22, 2008
18
0
Palo Alto, California
Yep...The day has come that MS have felt the urge to open a store. I don't know if any you guys have seen the mock up pictures of the stores on Engadget but they look pretty PC World for the Brits or for the yanks...what ever..I think the store will be a prime example of MS trying to be cool. Naw..MS will never be cool. Only one guy in MS is cool and it's Steve Ballmer. In Apple everyone is cool. Even the concierge at the door of you local Apple Store.
 

Jack Comrie

macrumors newbie
Jul 22, 2008
18
0
Palo Alto, California
What are they going to sell in there?

Other OEM's computers?
Xbox? But then they have tried to keep the Xbox brand as far away as possible from the Microsoft name because they have absolutely wrecked their brand image.
Zune, who cares they've sold about 10 anyway.
Software.

Going to be pretty confusing for buyers. "I got my computer from Dell, can I take it to a Microsoft store to be serviced?" If you buy a computer from the store and it needs to be serviced do they then have to send it off to the respective OEM? Unlike Apple who will service it in store within a couple of hours/days.

Are they going to sell high quality PC's or bargain bin? If they go after high quality and expensive, Apple dominates this market by far, if they go low and cheap will that further hurt their brand image?

Which OEM's will they be stocking?

Well You are sort of right. They will sell Dell systems and printer ink. Things like that. I also agree that the Xbox sales are a big no no as this would add to the embarrassment and check out engadget, link at the bottom, they posted an article about some High School kids giving Bach a grilling about MS's products. lol.....Pitty. Anyway they will sell ink an systems from, I reckon "selected" retailers. As I said in my last about this you can see the article on Engadget, link at the bottom.

Bach gets a grilling

MS Store
 

boyreinvented

macrumors member
Jan 21, 2009
77
93
Kent, UK
Flawed

This strategy is SO flawed.

Can you imagine the size of the M$ equivalent of the Genius Bar? It would need to be huge. This idea is going to fail miserably, anyone with a Windows computer will be taking it there when they have an issue, most of the staff will be there to sort out issues and the few remaining ones will be explaining the difference between V**** (we no longer refer to it by name) and Windows 7 before underselling people the version of Windows they need so they have to upgrade it later on.

As usual M$ are really not thinking ahead.
 

aluminumapple

macrumors regular
Jan 7, 2009
247
0
This strategy is SO flawed.

Can you imagine the size of the M$ equivalent of the Genius Bar? It would need to be huge. This idea is going to fail miserably, anyone with a Windows computer will be taking it there when they have an issue, most of the staff will be there to sort out issues and the few remaining ones will be explaining the difference between V**** (we no longer refer to it by name) and Windows 7 before underselling people the version of Windows they need so they have to upgrade it later on.

As usual M$ are really not thinking ahead.

lol correcto mundo mate.

windows will be facing more customer service problems rather than selling more products.
 

hexonxonx

macrumors 601
Jul 4, 2007
4,610
1
Denver Colorado
This strategy is SO flawed.

Can you imagine the size of the M$ equivalent of the Genius Bar? It would need to be huge. This idea is going to fail miserably, anyone with a Windows computer will be taking it there when they have an issue,

Apparantly, you don't spend much time reading the Apple discussion forums to see how many people are having problems with their Macs.

As for the Genius bar, there are dumb people taking their Macs there as well simply because they are clueless.

Last summer, I was at the Apple store in Boulder Colorado to exchange my 3G iPhone. There was a guy there wondering how come his visual voicemail didn't work on his two week old 3G white iPhone. The Genius took the phone and looked at it a second and handed it back to the guy and told him to type in his password. His visual voicemail now worked.

You guys make it sound like Macs don't ever have any problems and they do, same with the software.
 

boyreinvented

macrumors member
Jan 21, 2009
77
93
Kent, UK
You guys make it sound like Macs don't ever have any problems and they do, same with the software.

That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that there are about 20 times as many Windows users out there. So if we didn't even consider Macs having virtually no issues with viruses and their inherently stable OS being built on Unix, the M$ version of a Genius Bar would need to be 20 times as big. Add on those virus issues and hey, let's make it 50 times as big.
 
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