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Is Microsoft Store just a cheap Apple Store rip-off? | |
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| Time: 10:06 EST/15:06 GMT | News Source: BetaNews | Posted By: Kenneth van Surksum | ||
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Joe Wilcox: Yesterday, Black Friday 2009, I drove 70 miles north from San Diego to Mission Viejo, Calif. My goal: To answer that question. In October, Microsoft opened two retail outlets, in Arizona and California, that do remind of Apple Store. Tech bloggers, particularly those in the Mac camp, have repeatedly slammed Microsoft for imitating Apple and doing so badly. But as the saying goes, imitation is the best form of flattery -- and imitation is quite common in retail. | ||
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| #1 By 89137 (216.145.133.6) at 11/29/2009 10:35:30 AM |
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Gee - ya think???
If it weren't for the Apple Store - there would be no Microsoft Store If it weren't for the iPod - there would be no Zune If it weren't for Google - there would be no Bing If it weren't for Google Docs - there would be no upcoming Office Web Apps Microsoft is being forced into these plays. If not for competing alternatives, Microsoft would be content in selling you expensive, bloated applications that run and are licensed per pc - as has been their model since day one. |
| #2 By 11888 (173.35.101.9) at 11/29/2009 1:08:43 PM |
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Microsoft is completely lost in the consumer space. They don't know what people want and when they see it through competitors they don't understand how people want the solution to work.
There's no imagination or creativity anymore. Just big corporate think. Once Jobs leaves Apple that company will probably go back to being that way again. |
| #3 By 79018 (74.70.9.133) at 11/29/2009 2:26:17 PM |
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I have never felt comfortable in an Apple store (I am a MS Fan boy) however I don't like the MS store either. The feeling is to clone, sterile, hospital or clinic like, this applies to the Apple store a bit more. MS use of color helps.
Mac designs are first rate, but they look to sterile, something in a Hospital, I know that's the look they want. I would have moved the xBox, Touch screens and maybe even a surface display, I'd rather it look more tomorrow then today. Maybe they should have gotten someone from the Sony design team or even Alienware. But that's my taste and not the general public. |
| #4 By 1896 (68.153.171.248) at 11/29/2009 3:30:42 PM |
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#3: Your comment about Apple stores reminding you of hospitals are the same my mother used to say about my apartment.....
Iam a minimalist and, IMO, Apple and, to a lesser degree, MS stores have the same style. And yes a minimalist approach is either something you love... or feel terribly uncomfortable with. Said that I agree that MS shoul have characterized its stores more on futuristic things; big screens showing something from MS Research Labs hinting as "What we will take you tomorrrow", "Wall surface" etc. This post was edited by Fritzly on Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 15:31. |
| #5 By 20505 (216.102.144.11) at 11/29/2009 4:58:41 PM |
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I heard the entire interview that Balmer did on CNET about a month ago. Overall, SB had very little new to say regarding the current and future direction of the company.
I thought he said one interesting thing about the new MS stores and I believe that he is absolutely right in this regard. The vast majority of Windows computers are not available to browse in retail outlets. He singled out Best But as essentially the only store in much of the US that sells a variety of Windows computer products. He said if the computer is not at Best Buy you can't experience it. What he claims to want to do at the MS store is show case Windows computers of different form factors and different manufactures. This is essentially what Apple does but to a large extent all Apple products are available to be sampled at Best Buy. You cannot say this about say, ASUS machines, Lenovo, or other high end manufactures. Certainly, there are no pen tablet computers to sample in any retail store to my knowledge. I think it's a great move. |
| #6 By 20505 (216.102.144.11) at 11/29/2009 5:08:33 PM |
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To #1
Correct me if I'm wrong but Apple did not invent small down-loadable apps for hand held devices. I had them for my Palm years earlier. Nor did Apple invent the MP3 player. I believe it was invented by Creative. Google did not invent the search engine. Again, correct me if I'm wrong but AltaVista was there years earlier. Moreover, cloud computing has been around for years. I used to use Kermit to connect to a Unix computer in the Eighties to do remote computing tasks. What Apple and Google did was do it better that what was out there. That is the essence of business. It is not important if you are first. It is important if you are the best. Can MS compete in these spaces? That remains to be seen. |
| #7 By 12071 (203.210.68.145) at 11/29/2009 6:31:54 PM |
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Yes! As #1 said, in the same way that the Zune is a cheap ipod rip-off (watch Family Guy for an excellent analysis of the Zune) and Bing is a cheap Google rip-off that requires Microsoft to not only pay for people to use but also bribe companies not to list with Google.
Microsoft have never been minimalist until they saw it working for other companies... in fact they're renowned for the longest product names (stuff that makes Capcom look good) it's only recently that they've converted to the minimalist approach. Having said that, the approach Microsoft is taking with their version of the store is different to Apple's simply because their market is different to Apple's. So whilst there is some overlap, they should focus on what will make their brand stronger rather than worrying about what everyone else is doing. |
| #8 By 143 (74.133.145.60) at 11/30/2009 2:26:57 AM |
| If you listen to Steve Jobs he'll tell you he invented the letter "i". |
| #9 By 89137 (65.255.137.29) at 11/30/2009 8:49:56 AM |
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#6
I didn't say anything about who invented what. Maybe what I should have said was 'If it weren't for the SUCCESS of ...." It's the success model that MS is going after... |
| #10 By 17855 (205.167.180.132) at 11/30/2009 9:23:22 AM |
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I love these sensationalist headlines. The fact is the market evolves and as a company you either evolve with the market or cease being relevent. Microsoft understands this and works hard to stay competitive, with varying degrees of success.
This is true in any industry. |
| #11 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 11/30/2009 2:10:17 PM |
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#7: I have heard it said that Bing is the Zune of search engines. Or was it Zune is the Bing of media players? I don't remember now.
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| #12 By 218115 (71.58.225.185) at 11/30/2009 6:08:10 PM |
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And I am the Carrot Top of comedians. This post was edited by !atch on Monday, November 30, 2009 at 18:08. |
| #13 By 9589 (68.17.52.2) at 12/1/2009 5:46:45 AM |
| Why is a "store" necessary in any case? |
| #14 By 23275 (68.117.163.128) at 12/1/2009 9:51:46 AM |
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#13, The stores are there to showcase the totality of what is possible on the platform and is part of Microsoft's three screens and a cloud strategy.
Consider this scenario: say you have a computer, a zune, or mobile phone and an Xbox, or an extender. You needn't really have a Zune, or mobile device, because the Zune software works fine without it and you don't need a Zune pass subscription to buy, or rent media, movies, etc... (but you surely can). It's hard to replicate this experience and hard to explain it from inside a big box store or bulk retailer and nearly as hard online. People can buy media, or rent it from the market place, or vice versa - from the Xbox Zune Marketplace and begin streaming it instantly - all the way up to 1080P (requires a modest cable or DSL connection) You can build a massive media library and place it within the Zune software (adding targets - even from other computers). From one's connected/extended TV, one may consume that content directly from the Zune folder, or via MCE. Similarly, one may access it on the Zune, or portable computer. Using only media as one example, the stores are there to show how easy this is to do. Streaming instantly from the Xbox/Zune marketplace, for example, allows one to download the media to the PC later - where it can by sync'd with the Zune, or compatible mobile device. There are dozens of examples like this where the stores can best showcase how to use all that Microsoft's platforms offer and how easy they are to use for work, play and education. Big box stores would have a harder time sharing these kinds of experiences - though some in-store Microsoft employees are there to do just that. This is part of a larger retail strategy. |
| #15 By 17855 (205.167.180.132) at 12/1/2009 1:50:48 PM |
| As we say in Missouri, "Show Me!" |
| #16 By 37 (96.42.32.6) at 12/1/2009 5:44:40 PM |
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"o #1 Correct me if I'm wrong but Apple did not invent small down-loadable apps for hand held devices. I had them for my Palm years earlier. Nor did Apple invent the MP3 player. I believe it was invented by Creative.
Google did not invent the search engine. Again, correct me if I'm wrong but AltaVista was there years earlier. Moreover, cloud computing has been around for years. I used to use Kermit to connect to a Unix computer in the Eighties to do remote computing tasks." Who said anything about invent? MS is copying every product/service that they don't have or is more successful than their offering. This post was edited by AWBrian on Tuesday, December 01, 2009 at 17:45. |
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