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Forget Linux. Microsoft trains retailers on how to pitch Win 7 PCs vs. Macs | |
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| Time: 13:50 EST/18:50 GMT | News Source: ZDNet | Posted By: Robert Stein | ||
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There’s been lots of coverage of Microsoft’s training materials aimed at Best Buy retail employees to help them sell Windows vs. Linux. Frankly, I was surprised Microsoft bothered to spend the money and time to create these docs, given Linux PCs constitute about one percent of the market. (Linux servers, of course, are a different story and one Microsoft is and needs to continue to focus on….) Ars Technica has unearthed a more telling set of Best Buy training docs from Microsoft: Ones aimed at teaching store employees how to pitch Windows 7 PCs vs. Macs. Given how much time, effort and money Microsoft is spending to fight Apple, these docs are a lot more relevant and interesting, in my opinion. | ||
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| #1 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 9/9/2009 2:21:34 PM |
| How wonderfully ethical of Microsoft. What is Best Buy getting from this, the carrot or the stick? What's the point of Best Buy even selling Macs when their employees will downplay them? |
| #2 By 7754 (206.169.247.2) at 9/9/2009 2:28:19 PM |
| How is it unethical, exactly? |
| #3 By 81057 (69.150.20.32) at 9/9/2009 3:09:49 PM |
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How is it any different than this:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090909/us_time/08599192069800 |
| #4 By 20505 (216.102.144.11) at 9/9/2009 5:56:27 PM |
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You know, I bought my son his college MacBook Pro at the Apple store after looking at the same machine at Best Buy.
As I see it, Apple is really the one to blame here. They offered a free iPod only at their retail store and not at BestBuy. I can't imagine anyone buying the machine at BestBuy under this circumstance. I suspect that the overtures may have been made by BestBuy to MS and not the other way around. |
| #5 By 15406 (99.240.76.72) at 9/9/2009 7:48:43 PM |
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#2: Are you kidding me? MS is, with Best Buy's approval, training and bribing salespeople to focus more on Windows products and, no doubt, slag Mac. Best Buy is just as guilty here for allowing it, but the fact remains that it doesn't pass the smell test.
#3: By a lot? Your link is Wal-Mart revamping its stores to increase sales and adding items that are key areas for its main competitors. This story is about MS training Best Buy staff to push Wintel over Mac. |
| #6 By 236197 (68.225.93.235) at 9/9/2009 8:07:28 PM |
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Latch,
You are being ridiculous. Wal-Mart is doing whatever it can to push out its competitors. In it's case, they are revamping stores, selling more items that competitors sell, etc. They can't do much more than that to persuade people to come there, rather than go somewhere else. Microsoft is also doing whatever it can to push out its competitors. But since they aren't a store, they have to work with the people and partners who DO sell their product. They are already doing massive amounts of marketing. So now they moved on to the next step. Getting at the customer when they are getting ready to buy the product. "Training" the staff to push Microsoft over Linux and Mac makes sense for them to do. And by the way, "Wintel" doesn't make any sense here. |
| #7 By 81057 (69.151.132.212) at 9/9/2009 9:03:07 PM |
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It's no different than paying for product placement in a grocery store, a salesperson on commission trying to up sell a consumer or Best Buy always pushing those overpriced Monster cables when you buy electronics. This post was edited by Imissedsomething on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 at 21:07. |
| #8 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 9/10/2009 8:39:35 AM |
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#6: You are being ridiculous.
You are entitled to your opinion. I am used to microbots believeing that MS should be allowed to do whatever it wants to, completely unfettered by the law, to achieve its ends. That's certainly nothing new here on AW. Wal-Mart is doing whatever it can to push out its competitors. In it's case, they are revamping stores, selling more items that competitors sell, etc. They can't do much more than that to persuade people to come there, rather than go somewhere else. I agree. Why are you telling me this? I never said differently. Someone asked me to contrast the Wal-Mart thing and MS. And like I said, Wal-Mart is just expanding and competing. On a level playing field. You know, that thing that MS always cries out for when they are at a disadvantage? Microsoft is also doing whatever it can to push out its competitors. Yes, and some of their actions are anti-competitive, and some are just plain unethical. "Training" the staff to push Microsoft over Linux and Mac makes sense for them to do. They're welcome to do that at the MS stores that they plan to open. I wouldn't even complain about Best Buy hosting MS staff to talk up Windows. It's the part where Best Buy employees are taught to dump on Macs that Best Buy sells that rubs me the wrong way. And by the way, "Wintel" doesn't make any sense here. I used Wintel in the sense that it's Microsoft pushing hardware with Windows instead of just pushing Windows. |
| #9 By 89249 (64.207.240.90) at 9/10/2009 1:01:22 PM |
| In other news: A hostage situation at Best Buy's Headquarters was finally resolved when the Microsoft Executive released three Best Buy top Executives after an unspecified deal was made to secure their release. Critics of Microsoft claim this again shows exactly how it gets it's deals done with partners in today's market. |
| #10 By 236197 (76.190.167.155) at 9/10/2009 1:13:19 PM |
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#8:
Wal-mart is no more expanding on a level playing field than Microsoft is. Both are being anti-competitive. Unethical? Well, that's a separate debate since ethics can be highly subjective. Why is Best Buy allowing Microsoft to train their employees as such? I don't know. Is Best Buy getting something out the deal? Perhaps. I couldn't tell you since I'm not in on the deal. It could simply be that Best Buy doesn't make any money on the sale of Macs. Like I said, not in on the deal, so I'm not going to really speculate. But you're not in on the deal either, and therefore this shouldn't be bothering you as much as it seems to. "Wintel" would leave me to believe that Microsoft is specifically pushing Windows machines based on Intel's hardware. But Microsoft has not made any specific push suggesting that. Even though I believe Intel is a much better solution than AMD, the fact is that it is out there, and Best Buy sells those too. Microsoft doesn't care whether Windows is running on Intel or AMD. |
| #11 By 8556 (173.27.242.53) at 9/10/2009 1:55:39 PM |
| No matter what Microsoft sends any retailer for "training", the retailed is going to push what brings in the most money and will then sell what the customer wants, Mac or PC. |
| #12 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 9/10/2009 2:41:14 PM |
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#10: Wal-mart is no more expanding on a level playing field than Microsoft is. Both are being anti-competitive.
As much as I generally dislike Wal-Mart, how are they being anti-competitive? Having nicer stores and cheaper prices on the same goods is the apex of competition when it comes to retailers. The way they squeeze suppliers is another story. Is Best Buy getting something out the deal? They must be, of course. Otherwise, why would they let MS in the door to train Best Buy's staff to slight a product line Best Buy sells? They certainly make money off of Macs or they wouldn't sell them at all. It's not like you can use a Mac as a loss-leader unless you can count on the consumer buying up a bunch of Mac software at the same time. Like I said, not in on the deal, so I'm not going to really speculate. But you're not in on the deal either, and therefore this shouldn't be bothering you as much as it seems to. That's a silly notion. I'm very concerned about what's in the upcoming ACTA treaty, being negotiated in secret by various nations around the world. I'm sure that many people who were not part of the PATRIOT Act and the DMCA discussions were/are very concerned about them. This isn't on anywhere near the same scale as DMCA etc, but I commented on how bad it smelled. It doesn't keep me up at night. #11: As MJF pointed out, most people have already decided what they're getting before they walk in the store, so the results of this 'training' are dubious at best. |
| #13 By 143 (216.205.223.146) at 9/10/2009 8:11:28 PM |
| Stores are a platform to sell product. |
| #14 By 7754 (206.169.247.2) at 9/11/2009 2:00:59 AM |
| Latch, I think you're just reacting because it's Microsoft. Other brands do the same thing. I'd *want* a salesperson knowledgeable in why one vendor feels they are superior to another... heck, why even have salespeople otherwise??? You think you're not going to hear from a salesperson why HP thinks their laptops are better than Acer's, or vice versa? Or a Pioneer tv vs. a Sony? Or... you really don't think you're going to hear about why Apple thinks they have a better laptop? I remember walking into a Sears store about 10 years ago and hearing about how great the Macs were, how they magically could double the actual amount of physical memory, etc. If a brand isn't sending literature to salespeople about why someone would want to buy their product... they aren't doing their job. |
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