[Ph.D.]

So, I passed by the one-and-only new Microsoft Store.

The over-all effect: Wow, and... creepy!

The wow was over the gazillion dollars they spent on this store, and on promoting it. The "creepy" was how it was - no surprise!? - a blatant copy of the Apple Store right down to the very tables, layout, "genius bar," etc. Only the colors of the walls and of the shirts of the sales-people differed by first impression.

The store is huge and spacious. In an unusual move, the store's "space" extended into the mall itself, in that there was unique associated seating, etc., just outside - another sign of the amount of money that was spent. The mall was also festooned with MS signage, etc.

I was surprised at how few shelves there were. I had imagined it would be packed with row upon row of game titles, etc. Even the tables seemed a little bare. The colors and imagery along the sides of the store was somewhat effective in netting ones' attention, and associating with the MS brand (which, for me, was like ice-picks in my eyes).

The store's employees all wore red shirts (somehow the image reminded me of the original star-trek red-shirted characters that always seemed to be getting shot by aliens). They all wore the "we're too cool" attitude that we know and love from the Apple store, but with an extra edge of a defensive and desperate sneer.

Apple's store had been expanded during the M$ store construction. It was far more modest, but sported a slightly sleeker look, with a lot more brushed stainless steel to reflect their aluminum look. Despite being half the size, the Apple store was twice as busy.

About the only substantive difference that struck me was the kids area in the Apple store - low seating and computers, etc. (which the MS store lacked, it seemed). This softens the store, and seeing kids playing makes it feel a bit home-like.

So, the over-all impression? Expect the... expected. A blatant rip-off of Apple's store. No amount of money is too much to spend trying to make up for a lack of imagination. This store will lose money for years, but it won't matter, because that's not the point. The point is that M$ is losing the war for people's hearts and minds, and M$ will "compete" the only way it knows how, by copying and outspending its foes.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

It IS FOES

[imitchellg5]

The M$ Store even uses the same brand of tables as the Apple Store.

[olePigeon]

You see, they're McDonald's. We're McDowell's.
They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs.
They got the Big Mac, mine is the Big Mick. They both contain two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions. But they use a sesame seed bun. My buns have no seeds.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

You see, they're McDonald's. We're McDowell's.
They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs.
They got the Big Mac, mine is the Big Mick. They both contain two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions. But they use a sesame seed bun. My buns have no seeds.

They have some sense of taste, we do not.

[nonhuman]

I love that movie.

[mdc]

Originally Posted by Ph.D. 

So, the over-all impression? Expect the... expected. A blatant rip-off of Apple's store. No amount of money is too much to spend trying to make up for a lack of imagination. This store will lose money for years, but it won't matter, because that's not the point. The point is that M$ is losing the war for people's hearts and minds, and M$ will "compete" the only way it knows how, by copying and outspending its foes.

I think you've nailed it right there.

[Love Calm Quiet]

Originally Posted by Ph.D. 

... The point is that M$ is losing the war for people's hearts and minds, and M$ will "compete" the only way it knows how, by copying and outspending its foes.

Not so much.

MS has never been in such a "war"... or even attempted to assemble the creative team that could wage it.

[Ph.D.]

Perhaps it depends on what you mean by war, or how far back your memory goes. Was it in a war back when it sought to destroy Lotus 123? To destroy Word Perfect, etc? To destroy CP/M? To defend against OS-2? The days of its frantic fear of Linux? The days when it managed to force (with government's help?!) PC makers to pay to include its O.S. with every computer? When it fought to infiltrate so-called open document standards with its proprietary hooks? The days when it was entirely preoccupied in anti-trust fights with the U.S. and the European Union?

As far as hearts and minds goes, it at least thinks it is in a war, past, present and forever. This is why it spends so much money trying to play catch-up, such as by paying people to use its new search engine. But it's fighting using the tactics of the last wars (the last example straight from the dot-com days).

Will it work with its clone of the Apple Store? Probably, as you say, "not so much." Yes, at the moment, it's not capable of fighting a modern war using modern tactics. It's too slow and fat, having gorged on its monopolies for so long, and its institutional memory ended with the successes of "embrace and extend."

M$ will be around for a good few decades, simply out of sheer inertia and its vast cash reserves. But all empires come to an end, eventually. I wonder when and how M.$.'s monopolies will fall? By the slow gains of Apple's OS? Probably not, and Apple isn't trying (very hard) to compete in the Office software arena either. Chrome? Few really care about the OS or which browser is used, so long as it works. Possibly M$ is most fearful of Google Docs and phone OS's at the moment, and probably with good reason.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

You see, they're McDonald's. We're McDowell's.
They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs.
They got the Big Mac, mine is the Big Mick. They both contain two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions. But they use a sesame seed bun. My buns have no seeds.

[sdilley14]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Awwww, praise the lawd!!!