Microsoft exploring Apple-like retail shops?

updated 10:10 am EDT, Fri April 11, 2008

MS Retail Store Rumor

Microsoft is seriously investigating the prospect of opening a self-branded set of retail stores, according to a new claim. Alleged sources near Microsoft say that the company hopes to boost its brand by launching a retail chain that presents an ideal Microsoft experience, similar to Apple's own outlets. What the store is likely to contain is unknown, though the company is likely to promote Windows and its software. It may also use the strategy to tout its own hardware, including the Xbox 360, the Zune, and potentially its smaller peripherals.

If true, the rumored launch would represent a part reversal of Microsoft's long-term strategy, which has been dependent largely on the marketing of system partners and third-party stores. The company has gradually seen an increasing need to market for itself as it begins to produce consumer electronics, starting with the original Xbox in 2001.

No mention is made in the claim of whether Microsoft would sell computers in its own stores or use them as showcases for its software.

By Electronista Staff

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TAGS :

computers, industry, Zune, Microsoft, Windows, Xbox 360

cmoney

Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Sep 2000

04/11, 10:23am | report spam | close reply

Like the Metreon store?

You mean like that failed Microsoft Experience store in the Sony Metreon?

What's next, Gateway or Dell experience stores? Oh wait...

horvatic

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2002

04/11, 10:29am | report spam | close reply

Frustrating Experience

Frustrating experience comes to mind right away. Do it the Microsoft way or forget it. Boot Windows and wait 10 minutes before you can use it experience. Maybe they could explain all the reasons Vista is so handicapped unless you get the Ultra version costing more than 3 times the price of OSX. Or why Vista basic is to basic to spend a $100.00 on. I don't see this working at all for them. They don't have a product that would be compelling enough to have anyone go in there store if they had one. But hey if they want to waste some of the Billions they have, who's to stop them. It won't last very long, that's for sure.

climacs

Joined: Sep 2001

04/11, 10:30am | report spam | close reply

Gentlemen

start your snark!

"Alleged sources near Microsoft say that the company hopes to boost its brand by launching a retail chain that presents an ideal Microsoft experience"

1) first of all let's get the grammar n*** nitpicking out of the way. "Alleged sources"??? You mean they may or may not be sources? I think you meant, "Sources allegedly near Microsoft". Can I please get a job writing for MacNN? I would improve the quality of the writing by about 1000%.

2) "An ideal Microsoft experience". That would be either an experience never seen once on this planet, or turning the customer upside-down and shaking the wallet/loose change out of their pockets then tossing them to the curb. I guess it all depends upon whose ideal experience... MS or the consumer.

vasic

Joined: May 2005

04/11, 10:31am | report spam | close reply

Like the iPod packaging

We all know what happens when Microsoft takes Apple's idea and improves on it, the Microsoft way:

http://www.youtube.com/v/EUXnJraKM3k&hl=en

I have no doubt that if it comes to retail, MS will do the MS thing to the experience. This ought to be fun to watch...

04/11, 10:37am | report spam | close reply

if the MS store

worked like Windows:

You would enter the store and within 5 minutes everything would turn blue. The store employees would ask you to leave and enter again.

After about 3 months of the store being open, everybody who entered the store would experience a time dilation effect where everything would slow down to about 1/2 of normal speed... walking, talking, etc would be affected.

A sales associate would relentlessly follow you around the store saying things like, "I see you are looking at software. How can I help you with that?" and never stops with this behavior until you punch them out because you can't take it anymore.

A 'loss-prevention specialist' will tail your every step through the store.

The product pricing will be a mind-numbing array of different prices for each product depending upon what features you want.

04/11, 10:39am | report spam | close reply

and...

...everything you bought at the MS store would not work correctly until about a year later when the Service Pack came out.

The health department would shut it down because it would be so full of virii that it would be considered a public health menace.

04/11, 10:41am | report spam | close reply

literally nothing

that MS won't copy from Apple.

"Start your copy machines, Redmond"

it's funny cuz it's true.

jmelrose

Forum Regular

Joined: Mar 1999

journalism standards

Hey climacs... feel free to cancel your subscription to MacNN. Be sure to get all your money back. I'm sure the people running the site are getting rich off all the subscription costs and therefor should be held to the highest possible journalism standards.

By the way... you failed to capitalize "Start your snark!" and bullet point #1. I would say if you're going to criticize grammar, you may want to be sure to do so in a grammatically correct fashion. :-)

(And I'm mostly teasing, but I'm just saying, c'mon... life's too short. Let the small stuff go.)

On-topic: I would love to see the "Genius" bar with a line consistently around the block with people waiting to get machines fixed, and then having them all turned away claiming it's the manufacturer's problem, or it's due to a video driver so contact.... etc.

Yeah, I don't see that concept going over well. At all. (And, yes, that was a sentence fragment. On purpose. And so was that one. And that one. And now I shall complete this posting. Thank you.)

AndrewWickliffe

Joined: May 2004

04/11, 10:42am | report spam | close reply

yuck

While I am a happy XBOX 360 owner and, tagline aside, some of those Zune commercials were technically competent (like MSFT did those themselves)...

the whole idea seems really creepy. I try imagining what the stores will look like and it's creeping me out

04/11, 10:43am | report spam | close reply

great idea MS

building a bricks-and-mortar chain of stores would be another good way for MS to piss away millions (billions?) of dollars and drive even more consumers to Apple.

Go, Ballmer, go! You ROCK!

04/11, 10:46am | report spam | close reply

re: standards

"By the way... you failed to capitalize "Start your snark!" " Subject lines are always rendered here in lower case, a******.

As for the rest of your comment, I really don't understand how an insistence on clear, understandable grammar offended you so much that you felt compelled to make such an ugly comment. Maybe you didn't get laid last night. Maybe you are always like this because of your bitterness over your incredibly tiny gonads.

Nevertheless you are kindly encouraged to f*** yourself very much, a******.

04/11, 10:48am | report spam | close reply

genius bar at MS store

would be run by low-paid immigrants from India who can't speak American English clearly, they would charge $15 per appointment, and they would automatically blame you/your hardware/your software for anything that isn't working with your computer and recommend that you buy a new one as a solution to your issues.

04/11, 10:51am | report spam | close reply

pc fanboys

would claim that the reason everything goes well with the consumer experience at the Apple Store is because Mac computers have such a small market share.

04/11, 10:55am | report spam | close reply

another reason jmelrose

is an idiot: "start your snark" was a continuation of the sentence began with the subject line, 'gentlemen', which I input as upper/lower but MacNN's commenting system renders all subject lines as lower case.

So, since 'start your snark' was part of the same sentence began with, 'Gentlemen', it would not be gramatically correct to capitalize 'start'.

By all means, though, continue to demonstrate your lack of perceptible intelligence and your disdain for your betters, who know how to correctly use the English language. You are the same kind of low-IQ functionally semi-literate jackass who pisses all over Al Gore simply because he's an egghead and voted for Bush twice.

04/11, 10:59am | report spam | close reply

snark snark

climacs, you completely forgot about the bloatware that is included on basically all Windows machines.

I'd imagine bloatware in the Microsoft store would be those Epson or Sony shirt-wearing reps you see in Best Buy or CompUSA. Except in the MS store, they'd swarm you before you even entered, and constantly bug you every 10 minutes.

And here's a vote for better macnn.com grammar...these guys consistently have grammar mistakes and make constant (poor) use of a thesaurus to the point where they sometimes (maybe not in this case) end up changing the intended meaning of the news they're trying to report. It's one thing to be a grammar n***, it's quite another to ask for accurate reporting.

cblackmo

Joined: Nov 2006

04/11, 11:00am | report spam | close reply

not exactly

It wouldn't be a Microsoft store exactly - more like a Microsoft+Dell+Sony+Toshiba+IBM/Lenovo retail store. And therein lies their problem. Fragmentation and openness don't make for good marketing/retail experiences.

Now if they could get all those brands to buy-in to the idea of a combined Experience Store, then that would be the beginning of something special. Sort of like a zen CompUSA-meets-Starbucks.

" I'm sure the people running the site are getting rich off all the subscription costs and therefor should be held to the highest possible journalism standards. "

you know what? This is not an amateur site. This is a professional website and it is not unreasonable to expect college-level proficiency in English grammar and sentence structure, such that the writer's intent is clearly communicated to the reader. I don't expect the 'highest journalistic standards' from this joint. I didn't b**** when yesterday MacNN published a press release as 'news'.

I merely expect competency in the English language. If I had such low standards for MacNN that I didn't care if they clearly communicated with readers, I probably would not value MacNN as a resource and would not make a point of coming here every morning.

By the way, I'm not falling for that, "you're an a******, haha just kidding" bullshit. Your comment was way over-the-top and uncalled for.

jpellino

Joined: Oct 1999

Can't wait!

Six version of Windows, Three versions of Office, A Zune, An XBox, Three mice and two keyboards.

OK that fills the first ten feet of shelf space...

As for the Genius Bar (aka the Ballmer Memorial Monkey Boy Bar?) I imagine they'll need armed guards and a separate line for registry issues.

04/11, 11:16am | report spam | close reply

re: snark snark

good point cmoney. Here's how I would say it: you would enter the MS store and immediately employees would stuff 'free trial software' CDs into your pockets/backpack/purse, so many that you would be weighted down by about 100 lbs and barely be able to move through the store. They would very reluctantly allow you to throw away the CDs so that you could move normally.

The MS stores would be announced to start opening in 2009 but they wouldn't actually start opening until 2012 and even then they would only have about 1/3 of the merchandise it was originally announced they would have. The store layout would be incredibly cluttered and difficult to navigate. You'd have to hire a guide just to get around the store and get out again.

Also, you wouldn't be able to buy just that one piece of software or that one Zune accessory (ha!) you really came for; it would be bundled with a bunch of c*** you don't need at all and for which you'd be expected to pay, and you'd be unable to buy just that single item unless you hired an attorney and filed a class-action suit against Microsoft.

Better yet, you just wouldn't go at all because it would suck just as hard as Winblows.

hayesk

Professional Poster

Joined: Sep 1999

04/11, 11:31am | report spam | close reply

Re: standards

You have a very good point about holding MacNN to higher professional standards.

However, the comments section is not the appropriate place for it. Send them an email pointing out their errors.

The comments section is for commenting on the content of the article. Posting about MacNN's grammar mistakes in the comments section is equivalent to saying "Look at me! I'm smarter than MacNN! Look at me! Look at me!"

Guest

Joined: Nov 1999

04/11, 12:23pm | report spam | close reply

whatever

The stores would be empty - If they offer free Wi-Fi then it would be filled with people on their MacBooks and MacBook Pros and iPhones.. That would be really funny..

JackWebb

Joined: Aug 2007

04/11, 12:28pm | report spam | close reply

Security check

When you walk in the store, they'd dim the lights and ask at least 3 security questions before you can continue.

The language coming out of climacs is actually worse than the grammar mistakes. I don't refer people to the site because of people like climacs.

04/11, 12:38pm | report spam | close reply

thanks for some of the...

...best responses ever. Please, keep going.

"Can I please get a job writing for MacNN? I would improve the quality of the writing by about 1000%. "

I love that *I* am mean spirited and yet this comment here essentially makes it sound like a minor word juxtaposition is reason to believe a wall written on in crayon has more writing quality than MacNN.

Second, what exactly is a "professional" web site? At what point does a web site go from the Minor leagues into the Pro realm? Just curious.

" I really don't understand how an insistence on clear, understandable grammar offended you so much that you felt compelled to make such an ugly comment. Maybe you didn't get laid last night. Maybe you are always like this because of your bitterness over your incredibly tiny gonads.

Nevertheless you are kindly encouraged to f*** yourself very much, a******."

And, if you take YOUR response/comment and apply it to what you initially said about the article, I would simply say, "Right back at ya." By the way, maybe the girls you date HAVE gonads, I dunno. I'd say you're making an awfully large presumption about my gender. Or maybe I really do incredibly tiny goads. Either way, it seems you are confused on female genitalia, or perhaps overly interested in the genitals of other males. Did you want to clear that up so we can move on?

"By the way, I'm not falling for that, "you're an a******, haha just kidding" bullshit. Your comment was way over-the-top and uncalled for."

Yea, but your initial post, and certainly the follow up replies, have been a portrait of restraint and moderation. It's worth pointing out WHO decided to start throwing cuss words around. Here's a thought... if you didn't like my comment, ignore it! Why make 3 more posts in response to it? Clearly I got under your skin. Victory is mine!

I would guess hayesk is your next target for spite and ire now, as he also pointed out (accurately) the way your initial post came across, and why I chose to respond to it at all. I'd have sent you an email to point out your errors as well but since you've made this a public matter, I guess here will have to do.

Finally... "This is a professional website and it is not unreasonable to expect college-level proficiency in English grammar and sentence structure, such that the writer's intent is clearly communicated to the reader. I don't expect the 'highest journalistic standards' from this joint. I didn't b**** when yesterday MacNN published a press release as 'news'."

First, why would you b**** when they publish a press release? The press release... wait for it... IS news. Hence, the reason why it would be published. See, companies release information in the form of a "press release" in the expection the press will pass the info along to the media source's readers.

Second, I think the writer's intent was probably clear to

04/11, 12:39pm | report spam | close reply

second...

I think the writer's intent was probably clear to any readers except perhaps those who are not as skilled with the English language. I think, much like hayesk, that your first comment was just an attempt to nitpick and show your highly advanced English skills, at the expense of a faceless, anonymous writer who made an honest (and ultimately harmless) mistake. If the saying that profanity is the lowest form of communication is true, you still have a few things to learn still from the writing of MacNN. I highly doubt you could make it 1000% better, unless you mean by making it "MacNN: Now with 1000% more cursing!!" In that case, then, yes, you have a shot. I just

"I merely expect competency in the English language."

Considering your posts on here so far, well, I am sure you're being ironic.

Thanks for brightening my Friday.

koolkid1976

Joined: May 2003

04/11, 12:48pm | report spam | close reply

Chill climacs

Why you angry? You bashing on MacNN, bashing on Microsoft (While I like to do that from time to time I probably wouldn’t post several consecutive post doing it), and bashing on jmelrose. Her comments were not that rude, but yours certainly were. Take deep breath. Collect your thoughts.

MeandmyMac

Joined: Feb 2008

04/11, 12:57pm | report spam | close reply

okay...

now with the "grammatic' war over, let's get back to commenting on the article. Here is my .02¢...

For the true Microsoft experience for their store, the end user will have to find the right one because there will be six stores: the "Ultimate" store, the "Home Premium" store, the "Home Basic" Store, the "Business" store and finally the "Enterprise" store. lol

ricardogf

Joined: Jan 2003

04/11, 01:12pm | report spam | close reply

Managers

Why not put JMELROSE and TESTUDO as General Managers of the Microsoft "Experience" Stores?

They would certainly fit...the first for his wonderfully off-topic grammar "skills" that could only appease Uncle Bill; and the second for his unconditional love for Microcrap and its products that "play for sure"!

PERFECT candidates, I would say! ;)

04/11, 01:21pm | report spam | close reply

LOL

Has Microsoft ever have an original idea? They either steal, buy or bully to gain their ideas. I absolutely loathe that company with a passion. I had to use their stupid OS at work for 5 years. What a nightmare.

04/11, 01:32pm | report spam | close reply

thank you thank you

Thanks ricardogf. I think...?

There is no way a pro-Microsoftee and I could ever run a computer store together. I am the lone Mac user at the school I work at, and it's a hard knock life for me here. On the upside, the IT department loves that they NEVER need to help me with anything.

Just wondering though... what kind of grammar skills has Uncle Bill been looking for? I am unfamiliar with Microsoft's language arts department requirements.

ZinkDifferent

Joined: Jan 2005

04/11, 02:08pm | report spam | close reply

Microsoft Motto...

> dismisses these concerns > This is the Microsoft company motto, correct?

No, "Annoy Users", is...!

slapppy

Joined: Mar 2008

04/11, 06:53pm | report spam | close reply

Cool

I hope the store has a nice stock of iPod Touch, iPhone and OS X stuff. :-) Because its probably the only way they can get customers to voluntarily walk in the store. LOL

04/13, 08:11pm | report spam | close reply

more ideas

Every customer who walked in would have to sign up for a "Windows Genuine Advantage" store account, regardless of whether they buy anything or not. Their store account would then occasionally be revoked without warning because the customer may or may not be a shoplifter. None of this would, of course, prevent actual shoplifters from coming in and taking whatever they wanted off the shelves...

Store renovations would consist of not much more than wallpaper covering over the previous decor. They would expand the store by buying the building(s) next to it, including the merchandise which would then be relabeled.

They would still be using cash registers from 20 years ago, alongside modern ones which would have to run under crippled functionality to maintain backwards compatibility with the older ones.

nat

Junior Member

Joined: Mar 2002

04/13, 09:47pm | report spam | close reply

my oh my

All of this bickering and not a single testudo to be found! This must be a record.

I'm torn because I like climacs and have no idea who jmelrose is beyond the fact that he tried to get uppity with me once by blasting me for responding to a post, but alas, the poor child had the wrong post!

Anyway, it's been a fun read.

And of course MS is going to do it's own stores. It copies what others do. That's what it does. That's all it does.

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Microsoft exploring Apple-like retail shops?

updated 10:10 am EDT, Fri April 11, 2008

MS Retail Store Rumor

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