So Microsoft is going to have themselves a little retail space. This is, of course, ripe for mockery, and I’m sure tomorrow will bring the fruits of photoshop contests from around the web. Will it be wall-to-wall Vista boxes? Will you have to sign a license agreement to get in? Will they avoid the color “BSOD blue”? All very funny questions, but the fact is that Microsoft’s stores could be the beginning of… well, another beginning for the oft-maligned software baron. After all, despite what the web has to say, they do manufacture more than error screens.
What have they even done to put themselves out there lately? Their silly booths were too passive, Mojave was too obscure, and “I’m a PC” was capitulation, pure and simple. And while they’re dabbling in this and that, their entire media image is being created out of whole cloth by their competitors. They need a main event, not a sideshow.
The obvious yardstick here is the Apple Store. The Apple Store (like pretty much every store) provides a place where the purveyor can show the consumer what their product looks like ideally. The computers all work, they’re all up to date, they have pro applications installed, and a bunch of compatible media and accessories are lying at hand, giving the illusion that all is right in Apple’s little world. It says to you, “Your life can be like this store.” It’s not original, and it’s not terribly hard to do — IKEA does it right (perfectly assembled furniture, perfectly arranged), so does Tiffany’s (perfectly maintained jewelry, perfectly displayed). All Microsoft has to do is replicate this kind of environment, although their retail branding and packaging in the past do suggest we exercise optimism with a measure of caution.
So what would be in there? Vista, of course, all dressed up — although if they’re smart they’d have 7 around as well and push the buy-now-upgrade-free idea. Load it up with Live stuff, programs and services nobody’s heard of from Microsoft Research, and so on. Microsoft hardware puts out some solid stuff, so they can have the place stocked with their latest wireless keyboards and Bluetrack mice. They can have Zunes stocked with music (how many people have actually touched one?) and Zune clients open on Surface Tables with all the Live connections that come with. Maybe a gaming rig with the new Sidewinder gear. Having these actually cool shirts there wouldn’t hurt.
They mustn’t push too hard, though; the idea they’ve been trying to put out forever is that Microsoft products are just as approachable, just as intuitive as the other guy’s. So Microsoft needs to set it up right and let it ride. If you build it, they will come… eventually.
With a little work, they can provide the kind of ideal hands-on experience that Apple Stores famously give (and which is famously effective), although I think they can do without the tiringly obsequious employees. They have the hardware, they have the software, but what remains to be seen is whether they have the sense to do this thing right.
must be very cool to check their strore.
What’s cool about it? Just want to be the first to comment? Please enlighten US! Sh*t…save the first spot for someone with something to contribute.
I will believe it when I see it.
Unfortunately, Microsoft is about as cool as Wal-Mart in terms of popular brand perception.
Maybe they can reverse this image, but it will be an uphill battle.
Anjali Sen
Its definitely not an microsoft out of the box solution and nor an IP based idea to be worried about!
Guess they are running out of ideas? areint they?
http://dabberdesign.com (MS can try them :)
the first time might be interesting, but lets face it… if the microsoft store was anything like microsoft on the internet, it’ll be like a cheppelle show sketch and by sketch, i mean sketchy… its that side of town you avoid, that block you refuse to drive down, shits creek, etc. etc.
honestly, what a terrible company. lays off 5% of its american staff during this terrible recession to save a few $$$ so it can open up this crap. american deserves better from its number one symbol of corporate monopolist greed (not to mention thievery of IP, deception and semi-illegal activity)
Monopolist greed? If your contrasting Microsoft with Apple, which, for the purposes of this argument, I’ll assume you are….What do you think of a company that threatens to sue any competitor at the drop of a hat for copyright/patent infringement on questionable grounds. This company is large and influential enough to scare most small companies and many large companies with just the threat of a lawsuit. How is that not a symbol of corporate monopolist greed?
So the company laid off some people. I mean, shit happens. I’m not saying it’s a good thing. I’m not saying they should be commended, or even respected for it. But if it’s necessary, do you expect the company to go under for 5% of their employees? How is that fair to the other 95%? Tough decisions are part of running a business, and that’s what Microsoft is, first and foremost.
What do I think of that company? I think they’re like every other company, except their stuff is actually well thought out 90% of the time.
this could help them with xbox sales, but everything else? it won’t do them much good at all. the zune’s toast and the surface isn’t close at all to widespread marketability.
primarily business companies like microsoft don’t need consumer fronts.
Seems like a sign of desperation to me!
How is this desperation ? The market is changing, they have more competitors so of course they have to change strategy. I think a store would be great and not only can they display their own products like the zune, surface, MS Sync but they can also get other products like netbooks, tablets, windows mobile phone…. i think i could be a success.
Displaying their own products is precisely what’s wrong with a Microsoft store.
wow.. I have to guess with the name 411macjunkie, you have nothing but hate towards M$.
I understand having an opinion, but we have no idea how the store will work out. It sounds like a great way for them to bring together all their software and hardware.
It can’t be any worse then an apple store.
lol it’ll be much worse. don’t you remember the compaq store. it’ll be much much worse than that lol
Actually, these stores have the potential to accomplish something great, which is to create another point of contact with the consumer, a more personal one, where Microsoft can control all of the shopping experience.
Of course, if the execution turns out to be bad, the stores will be a failure.
But there’s definitely a potential for something good to come out of it from Microsoft’s perspective.
I definitely think it would help xbox sales! Especially if they show the Netflix integration over xbox-live.
FAILURE… The reason Microsoft is standing alive today is the fact that they got into this game at the right time when nobody had paid attention to it. otherwise they suck from their leaders to their products.
I am a PC ads were a joke. Nobody I knew ever heard of them but they did hear of apples. They weren’t funny, they weren’t interesting and were a waste of money.
do you live inside a care because you comment are extremely exagerated and off the mark.
meant to say a CAVE!
Canadian…
Microsoft pouring tons of money into badly executed, wasted efforts? Who would have heard of such a thing.
It’s like pouring a billion dollars into msn.com and ending up with $500M in losses in 2008 alone.
Still #3 in all web properties behind Yahoo and Google, after 10 years of effort.
At least it still costs them peanuts to buy TechCrunch ‘blog posts’ – cheapest PR they ever paid for!
Spoken like a snot-nosed, prep-school brat. What do you (or any Canadians for that matter) know about hard work or innovation eh? If notable alumni from Thornhill Secondary School are an example, you’re on a rocket ship to the middle!
Microsoft lives throughout the technology spectrum with practical solutions and innovative ideas. Their products are sound. Their partnerships are solid and many great things: from scientific advancements to design achievements have been accomplished on their technology. What have you done besides post a picture of a kid with 12 working fingers (impressive!)?
This could be a great move for Microsoft though I question the cost/benefit analysis. Microsoft makes most of their money through OEM’s and Enterprise software sales. To have a bunch of stores that are focused on consumers doesn’t seem like a huge money maker. If these stores are designed to repair their damaged brand then thats a good move but it could also turn into a large money pit.
There’s that to think of as well. On the other hand, I’d say where they’re losing the most business is in the home sector as OS X gains popularity.
You know what, Devin, in every Microsoft store there should be a TC hack blogging live about how Yahoo should sell itself to Microsoft.
You asshats.
Man, now that is a good idea!
It could be just marketing, without real need of making money. Microsoft used to be visible only on computer monitor, then Micorsoft made itself visible on TV screen as advertisement, however, this still could not answer the question: who is Microsoft?
A physical shopfront could be a good marketing strategy to make Microsoft be physically visible to general public.
+1. Chris you make an excellent point. MS’ big advantage has always been the low cost of distributing and selling their software and maintaining their own physical store just adds overhead that will eat into what would otherwise be pure profit.
*SIGH*…Is this another of MSFT’s “brilliant” marketing ideas, that has already been done better by someone else? Yeah pretty much!
I hope your not suggesting apple invented the concept of a “store” as a place that sells products.
Don’t be obtuse.
Microsoft’s biggest concern here has to be cannibalization of the channel. Apple dealt the death knell to their channel when they launched their stores, but their channel was tiny, even inconsequential.
I see people walking out of the local Apple store with new computers constantly. Whose computers will Microsoft sell? Whose computers will they have on the floor?
Zunes, XBoxes, sure. They’re gonna hurt some feelings whatever they do with Windows, though. There seems to be more potential downside than upside here.
They hired someone from Walmart. What happened they couldn’t find Eddie Antar’s resume?
This will be pretty interesting to see, I’m looking forward to the competition that Microsoft is trying to stir up with Apple.
http://twitter.com/cliffdailey
@Phillip – MS’s channel is so massive that this won’t make a dent.
I don’t really get the strategy here. Retails stores are for companies that make toys. The only toys MS has are Zune and Xbox. Zune is a failure, so I guess it’s basically an Xbox store. Just doesn’t seem like enough to me.
Zune certainly is not a failure. It’s managed to grab a large portion of MP3 player marketshare. Of course it hasn’t overturned the iPod, but did you really expect it to? Give it time, the Zune HD looks like it’ll be a fantastic product.
Hmm, wow, noticed the date on this now… made myself look like a complete idiot. Whoops! ^^;
Does Microsoft even make enough products to have a store or will this be like a Best Buy software and computer area as a separate store.
Microsoft makes what
windows
zunes
keyboards
mouses
xbox
xbox games
office
other software
is that really enough to fill a store or will they have computers from HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Toshibia maybe Sony
Printers from HP, Cannon, Lexmark etc.
and boat loads of non microsoft products
Um yeah, that’s about twice as much as Apple makes.
macbooks
macbook pros
imacs
mac minis
mac pros
os X
ipods
iphones
keyboards
mice
apple tv
ilife
iwork
other software
Come again?
Good idea they also should get a piece of hardware of every other vendor out there. Connect it to windows machine to show customers how these devices are really compatible.
The might also partner with HP, Dell, Cannon to do so.
Meh. There was a Microsoft store in San Francisco’s Metreon that closed a few years ago. It was pretty ordinary. Of course, that one opened before they had Apple stores to copy, but I’m not expecting them to come up with anything interesting.
Doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. Actually let someone see MS software before they pay for it? Maybe they’ll turn off all the monitors.
They are IBM in the 80’s. Completely out of touch with their audience. They’re pretty much doing what they’ve always done. Copy the competition. However, this time, it’s more for desperation than innovation.
it’s annoying to see the Apple fanboys calling out MS in an act of desperation but anything their God Steve makes is all the glorious blessing to the world. All you Apple Fanboys are pathetic!!!
And you nick are as cool as your all-Windows gear. Harhar, retard.
Microsoft > Apple
The reason Microsoft is standing alive today is the fact that they got into this game at the right time when nobody had paid attention to it. otherwise they suck from their leaders to their products
You’re completely correct. They exploited a new market in the 80’s, captured monstrous market share and rode the wave with their cash cow. The only reason they still have huge market share is it’s so hard for people to have the guts to switch to something else or spend the money. Meanwhile they look more and more pathetic with all their failures and lack of innovation. The retail stores can and will lose money and it won’t phase them. Amazing that any intelligent person can respect this company.
Andrew, I’d like to think of myself as an intelligent person, and I hold great respect for MSFT (and I’m sure employees of AAPL and GOOG do as well). Yes they dominate the OS space, and surprise surprise, yes they’re trying to gain market share in growing markets (and they’ve taken their lumps). But seriously. How is that evil or pathetic?
In fact, I find Apple and to a lesser extent Google’s marketing campaigns much more subversive and underhanded – directly encouraging, harnessing, and leveraging the image of Microsoft as “the man,” the evil old dictator that society should stick it to.
The unjustified negative sentiment towards Microsoft is simply astounding and disappointing.
Kevin – I don’t think people’s negative sentiment towards MS has anything to do with marketing. It’s more to do with their widely acknowledged monopolistic behaviour (the US government and the EU would have something to add here) as well as their appalling history of subverting standards. OOXML, IE6 etc… the list goes on.
MS have often stifled innovation where it suits their bottom line, and given their OS domination a lot of people’s online experience and freedom of choice is worse off for it. This is why a lot of people dislike MS. Hardly astounding, I’m sure you can appreciate.
Unjustified negative sentiment? How about creating an insecure environment that fosters hundreds of thousands of viruses, worms, trojans, and other malware?
That REQUIRES AV software, mail scanners, firewalls, and all sorts of additional security features?
Which in turn constantly takes thousands of computers and even entire networks down? Daily.
And whose systems support legions of spam botnets of all shapes and sizes?
THAT is why a lot of people dislike MS.
Are you seriously telling me that Microsoft created that environment on purpose? If OS X was the most common OS on the market, OS X would have all the viruses, Macs don’t have less viruses because they’re super secure, it’s because those who make viruses don’t want 2/10 of the people who visit their site to get the virus, they want 8/10 people. If Microsoft made an insecure environment on purpose, why are they offering people $250,000 to find the creator of the most critical worms that have been made in the past year?
A Microsoft genius bar which makes sure it’s super easy to migrate from a Mac to Windows. I can see it now..
Great point above… who’s gear are they going to be running all that pretty OS stuff on? Believe it or not… customers are going to care.
I hope they demo Windows Vista CE for Espresso Maker. You get half a cup of mud and then it sprays you in the face with 190F steam.
“But people who claimed to not like a cup of mud and getting burned by steam changed their rating from 4.2 to 8.5 after a demo of the MoJava Experiment. But check this out, MoJava is actually Windows Vista CE for Espresso Maker.”
–brought to you by windows fanboyz: the nation of aspergers
well im actually a PC, i like microsoft and im hoping 7 will be the great OS we all PC users have been waiting for, yes apple´s share has been growing but outside USA (im from El salvador) microsoft´s share must be at least 95%, real competition however comes not from apple but from google, everybody uses google search not only in the US but outside US also so they better make 7 and their products really web friendly, that said, apples products are cool but have you guys notice that PC´s are looking better everyday?
Sounds like they will annoy their channel partners.
I think MS store is a good idea. All your software hardware that you may need can now be found in one place.
It seems Apple computer doing will with the store, MS should have done this long time ago.
Oh yeah it’s going to be great to see the stores full of teens playing with Excel and Visual Basic, and walking out with their bags of SQL server.
hahahah, Chez Bill, very good.
Un fromage sil vous plait ? Baguette? Janette? Cigarette ?
Very good :)
Conceptually, all the ideas presented make sense and retail stores would be a nice place for Microsoft to showcase its best stuff.
But unlike Apple, I don’t think they will be able to do as much sales in store. Apple controls the pricepoints on all its products, which makes buying from its retail store usually no more expensive than from an alternate location (if one even exists for certain products). For Microsoft, its likely that the in-store products will be priced considerably higher than the same products at retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, NewEgg, etc.
>The obvious yardstick here is the Apple Store
Not really. I don’t think the “Microsoft Store” has anything in common with the “Apple Store” at all.
Joe the Plumber who spends $29.99 on that anti virus, used to pay for AOL and now spends $9.99 online on tools to speed up his computer doesn’t walk into the Apple Store often looking for slick gadgets, does he? If anything I see the “Microsoft Store” more of a BestBuy competitor.
Oh, but it has the word ‘Stooore’ so the ‘obvious yardstick’ HAS to be the Apple Stooore CLEARLY. – But of course! You’re a genius.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Will they be in India anytime soon ?
India will probably be their first test market ;-)
I think the “vast” differences presented by a lot of people here are over blown. The average consumer is the chump that used to use aol. Those are probably the easiest people to generate profits from as well-that’s who I’d want going to my store.
The average Joe is tired of dealing with outsourced tech guys over the phone. Having an opportunity to discuss an issue regarding a firewall or virus protection with a MSFT representative-even if it’s a teenager-may put MSFT in a better light. They could also build a sort of online help site like This* site has with digital security.
I’ll bet Best Buy are p!ssed off!!!
Should be a good opportunity to showcase the very good but languishing product that is Media Center. I went to a “showhome” a few years back that was decked out wall to wall in kit running MSFT software (plus XBoxes of course)and it was actually pretty cool – really made you want to buy that stuff.
If they can sell that image of a MSFT lifestyle then Sony, HP, Dell et al should be a cock-a-hoop.
I think you are right, it really could be a great thing.
I think displaying the Xbox and how it can be so much more than a gaming system will be important. Also the Windows Home Server and Windows Mobile devices.
It would be interesting to see how they position their stores in the market and how it will affect current software retailers.
I am not happy with Microsoft but they can turn it around. Let your dinosaurs go extinct and make stuff that people actually want! It is time for simplicity and fix your damn bugs correctly. What the hell is songmaster? Why is the learning curve so high in Office? Why do my Outlook is so buggy? Why is Microsoft Server and CRM so expensive?
But despite that, I think a Microsoft Store would be fun for me. Another store to play.
Man, there’s a lot of hate out there!
hey people, i dont feel like you see things clear… ok, you hate microsoft.. you have the right to do so…. BUT… try to see thinks with a clear mind.. why a MicrosoftStore would be a bad idea ? i read read read… not reasons were given really… why AppleStores are great on the other hand… keep your eyes open and your minds clear people..
hey people, i dont feel like you see things clear here… ok, you hate microsoft.. you have the right to do so…. BUT… try to get BSOD out of the picture and see things with a clear mind.. why a MicrosoftStore would be such a bad idea ? i read read read… no reasons were given really… why AppleStores are great on the other hand… keep your eyes open and your minds clear people.. if Apple has a reason for a retail space… MS has a million reasons…
“the idea they’ve been trying to put out forever is that Microsoft products are just as approachable, just as intuitive as the other guy’s”… this is remarkable!
Lets hope that the retail works well for Microsoft and help consumers to have updated software in their PC.
They didn’t sell hardware, it will be only an other try to clone Apple’s point of success…IMHO
insane.
it’s like they’re going in reverse.
It seems that Microsoft has mastered the art of copying what their competitors do. Here they are copying Apple and in the internet domain, the are aping Google Chrome with IE 8.
This finally proves what I’ve known for a while- Microsoft os totally bankrupt of ideas and totally without strategic knowledge.
Microsoft’s strategy is simple: ‘Find out what Apple (Zune) and Google (Live) are doing and copy it’- whether or not it has anything to do with our core business or strengths or adds any value for the customer.
For God’s sake, Redmond, Apple sells physical stuff- stuff you touch and carry and put on the shelves. You’re a software company, dudes. You’re not in the same business.
Your customers are happy getting their Microsoft software preloaded with their PCs. Or downloaded off the web. Or from your already-extensive global network of motivated distributors. The problem is hardly that people can’t find your products to buy- so what in the world is this about?
You’d think Microsoft could hire a couple of MBAs to help them with strategy. This is really, really sad.
I’m a marketer and after reading this post and all the negative comments for me is 100% justification why Microsoft needs to open these stores. They got a major brand problem and a generation of consumers that despise them. The only way to silence the chatter and let your products speak for themselves is to get them in front of people. In my opinion this is a great move for Microsoft!
“… and it’s not terribly hard to do.”
Yeah, tell that to Gateway. And to all of the little Dell kisoks that have come and gone.
Most of all, tell it to Sony, who attempted to duplicated the Apple experience with their “Sony Style” stores, and ended up creating lifeless plastic-covered mausoleums.
Apple stores also owe a lot to their Genuis Bars; places where users can talk to real, live, knowledgeable people who aren’t in Bangalore. Will Microsoft do free support? Can Microsoft AFFORD to do free support?
It sounds like PC World.
While it will be interesting to see them try this, I have to say it’s going to be very, very hard for them to replicate the success of the Apple stores. An Apple store is an experience. And it’s one that is highly tuned to and compliments their brand completely. Everything from the salespeople to the displays to the checkout procedure to the bags have an attention to detail that’s rarely seen in an electronics store. In fact I would say it’s has never been seen before them. I just don’t see Microsoft pulling something like that off. I feel like in the end it will most likely end up being similar to the Best Buy or Micro Center experience. That may be good enough to get some sales, but you can’t really compare that to the Apple store experience at all.
Their going to need lots of floor space for all those hard plastic boxes for the hard plastic software. What do you guy’s do with them when you get them home? Not very “green”…
What a waste of capital.
this is great news. last year I needed a new laptop and the experience of shopping for a PC laptop was horrible. The displays in the big box stores like Best Buy were terrible, they didn’t have working demos, those that did didn’t have internet connections. It looked industrial and picked over. Couldn’t get the specs that I wanted, Just an awful experience trying to buy a new Windows machine. I eventually broke down and purchased a Dell – which I didn’t want to do, for one it took them 4 weeks to ship it to me and I wasn’t comfortable spending $2k on the internet.
I kept wishing that there was a PC Store setup that was a pleasant shopping experience like the Apple Store (I bought a macbook but I do hate most of the arrogant, pseudo hipsters that tend to work there).
But a nice relaxing atmosphere where they have displays from Dell, Toshiba, etc. all set up where you can sample Windows machines and get your custom builds in a couple of days, maybe an area where you can actually work and drink coffee, etc. Would be pretty awesome. Actually see windows set up and working with other devices and different apps. Instead we get old looking machines that look broken and picked over at Bestbuy, Circuit City, Walmart, etc.
Does no-one remember that the only reason Apple is still here is BECAUSE of Microsoft, they bought the shares to keep em alive, yes it was so the Monopolies commission wasn’t too harsh on them, but even so, before iPod, Apple was nothing.
And even nowadays they only make sexy PC’s (and yes they are only PC’s at the end of the day).
MS keeps me in a job, so hey call me a fanboy. I do appreciate Apple’s kit though, it IS sexy, well built (sometimes) and has a high ‘kewl’ factor.
There’s room for both, but neither OSX or Windows is all it’s cut out to be. They both have issues!
Let’s just all play nicely together ;) After all we all both speak IP nowadays……
At the end of the day it’s all about who can inch closest to the line of infringement without getting caught.
Business as usual.
Cant they come up with something original? All their commercials and concepts are either rip offs or spins on Apples ingenious ideas…
This is pathetic!
Too little to late…
@Ashleigh ftw
Let me get this straight: Two major brick-and-mortar electronic chains (CompUSA, Circuit City) that carried a significant amount of their home markets fail, plus hundreds of other vendors that attempted to create stores and kiosks of their own within these chains, and they want to resort to opening a chain of stores themselves?
I don’t think the store will do well. I already avoid buying anything from Microsoft because of the ridiculous price for the Office Suite, I buy the OS because I want to be able to use my programs (read Visual Studio and video games, heavy accent on games). I wouldn’t go just because I’d be more likely to find a better deal online, that and I can’t really think of that many Microsoft products.
Compare to Apple they have software, the Zune, and the 360. Vs the iPod, tons of mac books, probably mac desktops, and software.
I personally don’t see the point for their proposed stores.