Fail++

[worker201]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2008739481_microsoft13.html

From the front page of the Seattle Times, Microsoft is planning to open their own branded stores.  No word yet about where or when this might be happening.  Also no word on whether they will sell computers there - their extremely competitive hold on OEM Windows distributors would make that a very bad move.  Which leaves X-Box hardware/software, Zunes, and a few items of boxed software - all items that can be found for less at a bigbox store like BestBuy.  I understand why they feel the need to market head to head with Apple, but I don't see this being a very smart move for Microsoft.

If one opens in Seattle, I'll be sure to go and take exclusive pictures.

[Lead Head]

Yeah I heard this too, and I just couldn't figure out exactly what they would sell besides the things you mentioned.

I was thinking they may possible contract some OEM to build them Microsoft branded computers, but then what would differentiate Microsoft branded computers from any other brand?

[SiMuLaCrUm]

Copying Apple with their Apple stores...

[Lead Head]

Copying Apple with their Apple stores...

Not really, Dell has Dell stores, and Gateway did at one point have Gateway stores.

[SiMuLaCrUm]

Haven't seen a Dell store before... Just the Apple one in the mall...

[worker201]

I thought only Austin had Dell stores.

Compaq used to have Compaq stores in Houston, where they would sell returned sytems.  They had employee purchase programs too, because Compaq headquarters was down there.

[SiMuLaCrUm]

I'm not sure, I certainly haven't seen any.

[worker201]

I happened to visit one of the many Apple stores here in Seattle today, just because I happened to be nearby.  It was in Bellevue, not 20 miles from Microsoft headquarters.  It was cool looking around, seeing all the different Macs together at one time, simultaneously running the same programs.  In that kind of setup, you can easily see the difference between a the white and dark MacBooks, and how thin the Air is compared to other models, and how fucking huge a 31" screen is, and how small the Mini is.  Plus, they have all the iPods lined up, including the new one that's no bigger than a coin, and each one of them is loaded up with songs and has earphones, so you can listen and play with the controls.

Also, they have iPhones everywhere, resting in docks, waiting to be touched.  It was like every single computer in the store (20+) had it's own iPhone.  I couldn't help myself - I picked one up and toyed with it.  I went to the map page, and saw that the GPS was working perfectly, and stood there staring as the GPS position updated itself based on what satellites were nearby (presumably, it's the cell towers that get the satellite signal, which is sent to the phone via radio wave).  Then I used the built-in Safari to view a web page.  It was fucking unreal, having a website be perfectly rendered in miniature on that tiny screen.  I had a hard time typing with the side of my thumbs, but I'm sure I would get used to it.  I've never really wanted an iPhone or a GPS unit before, but I want one now!

And the service, wow.  Each of the computers has iTunes installed, and has a purchase account already setup.  So if you want to know how to download music, the clerk shows you how to buy a song at iTunes, download it to your computer, and then upload it into an iPod that he carries with him just for that purpose.  The clerks also have USB sticks with compressed Outlook mailboxes and IE bookmark files to show people how to setup Mail and Safari.

All of the above was conveyed in order to explain to you why Microsoft retail stores would be a bad idea.  Microsoft makes very few products.  And those products are not 50x cooler when you see them in real life, like the iPod shuffle, the MacBook Air, or the iPhone.

However, an Xbox arcade would be a great idea.  Have a bunch of Xbox 360s attached to TVs, but with a weird coin-op system next to them.  You come in and try out the games, and you get like 5 minutes for a quarter.  Then the games and the hardware are on sale at the back of the store.  Kids would shovel quarters into those things like crazy, and then they would be freak-excited about buying the games.  Hype for games and new hardware would increase, brand loyalty would increase, because kids and moms see the name every time they go to the mall (as opposed to sharing the hype with Nintendo and Sony at gaming stores).  Not to mention that those quarters would pay for the fucking store within a week or so.

FYI, this economic recession must be somewhere else.  The 3 busiest stores I saw were the Lego store, GameStop, and the Apple store.  Not exactly depression-era products...

[davidnix71]

Since Apple sells hardware really, they need retail. Apple stores are fun to visit if you like their stuff. But even the IT guys at work who wouldn't have jobs if Windows wasn't so insecure, don't like Microsoft and would have little reason to visit after work. Peecees are a commodity in the business world. Low price and custom configuration are what matters. Microsoft can't make money by undercutting Dell and HP without once and for all bringing down federal antitrust action on themselves. MS has money, but they don't have any friends left.

An computer arcade running XBox 360's would make sense in a smaller town, though. There are still a lot of places where people can't get high speed internet to play FPS games online.

[_ZeroBeta]

This might be all talk, but I don't know. According to this article, Microsoft has given no information about where they plan to sell their hardware and software, which leads me to doubt the truth behind this page. Considering how Microsoft sell their products at the moment, both bundled onto the hard drives of OEM computers and available off the shelf in office, computer and online stores, I can't quite put my finger on why they would want to open their own stores when they:

1. Bring in enough money with the methods they have used to force computer manufacturers to install their latest OSs onto their hard disks.
2. Sell it as an optional product both online and off in various outlets.
3. Advertise it on a steady basis on radio, TV and online.

Then again, there is one reason, which davidnix has described in his first paragraph. Windows Vista hasn't sold nearly as well as they expected it to, largely owing to the many negative reviews it has received in various sources, and Microsoft have been fined so many times now that it's no longer surprising or funny.

[worker201]

This might be all talk, but I don't know. According to this article, Microsoft has given no information about where they plan to sell their hardware and software, which leads me to doubt the truth behind this page. Considering how Microsoft sell their products at the moment, both bundled onto the hard drives of OEM computers and available off the shelf in office, computer and online stores, I can't quite put my finger on why they would want to open their own stores when they:

1. Bring in enough money with the methods they have used to force computer manufacturers to install their latest OSs onto their hard disks.
2. Sell it as an optional product both online and off in various outlets.
3. Advertise it on a steady basis on radio, TV and online.

Then again, there is one reason, which davidnix has described in his first paragraph. Windows Vista hasn't sold nearly as well as they expected it to, largely owing to the many negative reviews it has received in various sources, and Microsoft have been fined so many times now that it's no longer surprising or funny.

It's highly likely that the Seattle Times took this entire article straight from a Microsoft press release.  It's also possible that Microsoft is playing the PR game - tossing out bogus press releases just to see what kind of reactions they get.  MS certainly has full-time people who go out and read what people are saying about them on the net.  It's almost like doing a candid camera focus group.  I suspect that pretty much everyone is saying the same things we're saying here, and that MS got some angry phone calls from OEM distributors wondering about prior agreements - so the whole idea dies on the vine.  It's entirely possible that by commenting and complaining about this strategy, we played right into Microsoft's hands, doing their marketing research for them.  For free!

[bob_v5]

I actually think it would be a good idea (from microshafts view) to release an MS branded pc. Put it in a fancy , expensive looking case, use over-specced (is that a word?) hardware, have it somehow locked to vista and sell it like a mac or a mobile phone.
Include a few features only avalable on MS branded hardware. For example...

MS Bank- A program that interfaces with your online bank. Makes it look like a windows app. Reduces securty by only 4%!

MS Screen Saver- A program that allows you to display pictures of you favorite celebs for only the price of 2 txt mssgs!

MS Pron Stash- A folder for storing personal data, guaranteed totaly invisbile to other users of the machine.

Throw in ten gig of "totaly secure","cloud computing" storage space. "free for not less than 1 day but not more than we feel like" 
Charge $10 a month for updates, and give loyal customers a 25% discount off another $2000 machne 2 years later.

Sorry for the rant, but it annoys me that with the proper marketing this product would probably sell by the millions...

[Lead Head]

Sounds a lot like apple

[worker201]

Sounds a lot like apple

Which just goes to show that you can get away with a lot of shit if your base product doesn't suck.