Microsoft Stores.

[offramp]

Saw an ad for them in the paper this weekend. Had to laugh. If ever there was a more blatant copy of Apple's approach, I've not seen it... sales staff in bright, solid-color t-shirts, ID badges hanging from necks, same type of ad copy.

But the funniest thing--to me-- is, they're just now getting around to it? Does anyone at Microsoft see this for what it is: years late and millions of dollars short?

I'm not 'pro-Apple'ing, here, really. I'm just wondering what the hell Microsoft thinks it's doing, if they think no one sees this, no one sees the total lack of originality an inspiration?

[Anderton]

Apple and Microsoft have been copying each other for so long now, nothing would surprise me.

[MrKnobs]

if they think no one sees this, no one sees the total lack of originality an inspiration?

 

Have a look at the condition of popular music today if you think the average person cares about originality.

 

 

Terry D.

[offramp]

OK. Point: Knobs

[spokenward]

Apple launched in May 2001. The iPod launched in October 2001. The Apple stores would not exist if it were not for their consumer electronics products. The stores were a wedge to force visibility for their showcased products.

 

And think about it - when you went to Best Buy, for instance, to look at early mp3 players they were locked up in a locked showcase. The Apple stores were designed to compete with the noise in the conventional CE retail market. They worked.

 

The Microsoft stores opened with the launch of Windows 7. MS could wash away some of the stink of Vista. They could show that 7 was pretty and pretty solid, but the real reason for opening is still probably in the wings - that would be the relaunch of the dismantled Windows Mobile devices and gaming systems. You don't need colored shirts to sell stuff, but it gives you another way to tell if your other outlets are working your products.

[blue2blue]

 

Saw an ad for them in the paper this weekend. Had to laugh. If ever there was a more blatant copy of Apple's approach, I've not seen it... sales staff in bright, solid-color t-shirts, ID badges hanging from necks, same type of ad copy. But the funniest thing--to me-- is, they're just now getting around to it? Does anyone at Microsoft see this for what it is: years late and millions of dollars short? I'm not 'pro-Apple'ing, here, really. I'm just wondering what the hell Microsoft thinks it's doing, if they think no one sees this, no one sees the total lack of originality an inspiration?

 

We're almost always in for trouble when MS tries copying Apple, which they tend to do with surpassing clumsiness. Look at the disastrous release of Vista, with its rescaling graphic engine and other patheric Mac me-tooisms.

 

(The rescaling graphics engine is always the one that gets me because nothing contributes to the sluggishness of either GUI as much as the burden of the rescaling engine -- which has given us, what? The Swoosh and that's about it. OK, you can flip websites to an angle and such -- but, guess what, I can do that in XP in a variety of apps -- all that folderol looks and works just fine, but who the hell needs it? And, if it works in XP, why did we need the rescaling engine which, it's always seemed to me, has been a key factor in the sluggish feel of OS X and later Vista and Win 7. But if that putatively groovy curved wall of web pages display originated by PicLens, aka CoolIris and later copied by Apple in Safari was so compelling, I would be using Safari -- not likely, since it is a dog -- or I'd be using the CoolIris plug in for Firefox. It works, it works fine. But what's the point? It's pretty, I guess, but it just gets in the way.)

 

Apple is obviously great at getting people with money to part with it. But Apple works a much narrower demographic than MS does -- must. That allows them to suck profit out of those deeper pockets like no one's business. And, by and large, Apple's consumer customers seem quite happy in the deal.

 

What's MS gonna sell in its stores? Zunes and Kins and -- do they even make their own Win Phone? I assume they'll have to sell third party Win Phones just to have something filling shelves.

 

 

Of course, one thing that Steve Jobs is probably right about: a lot of people who have them do not need full use computers and many mostly use them to access the internet. And, to be sure, MS is right to be concerned about a potential major sea change that could undercut the Windows franchise.

 

If they were smart (and we're starting to wonder here at Chez blue2blue) they would continue to work to provide a rich, open development environment and emphasize the flexibility and extensibility of open computing systems -- all the while working subtle digs at Apple's IBM Big Blue-like vertical market integration, draconian customer lock-in practices, and oppressively restrictive (some developers would say outright hostile) development environment.

[offramp]

Oh, sweet. I see multi-quote has up and disappeared on us.

 

They could show that 7 was pretty and pretty solid, but the real reason for opening is still probably in the wings - that would be the relaunch of the dismantled Windows Mobile devices and gaming systems. You don't need colored shirts to sell stuff, but it gives you another way to tell if your other outlets are working your products.

 

I suppose X-Box is a viable tangible product to sell at store level. It was a line drawing featured in Sunday's ad.

[offramp]

If they were smart (and we're starting to wonder here at Chez blue2blue)...

 

"BlueChez"?

[Gus Lozada]

Have a look at the condition of popular music today if you think the average person cares about originality. Terry D.

 

There are "things inspired in other things" and then, there are lame copies.

Unfortunately for MS Stores, they just look like lame copies.

 

* not that apple invented the concept, but come on...

 

Offramp's point was that: they just look silly trying to be original and cool. And God, they do.

 

And I don't think there are actual MS products which can spawn the love/hate an iPad or the new iPod have generated. I may be wrong, given I'm not interested in their products.

[spokenward]

 

I suppose X-Box is a viable tangible product to sell at store level. It was a line drawing featured in Sunday's ad.

 

 

Not just for sales. There are other places to sell boxes. Selling game systems in malls with percentage rents pretty much assure it will be a breakeven function. It is important for visibility, timely promotion and introducing new uses and features. The mfrs are racing to find ways to connect their systems, sell services and change the boundaries of gaming and home entertainment.