

A Microsoft Store? Isn't that kind of like a Procter & Gamble Store? - technologizer
http://technologizer.com/2009/02/14/a-microsoft-store-um-isnt-that-kind-of-like-a-procter-gamble-store/

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sh1mmer
I couldn't agree less with this. P&G market under lots of different consumer
brands with the global P&G umbrella handling manufacturing and corporate
affairs.

Microsoft on the other hand is one of the biggest consumer brands in the
world, and doesn't really have sub-brands. Even Xbox is clearly linked to
Microsoft.

If Microsoft focuses on the same goal as Apple or Sony, demonstrating their
flagship consumer products in person, their stores will do well. I believe
Microsoft has enough of a range of "wow" products to do well in that space.

For example, even though this crowd might pick OS X over Vista, to the casual
non-techy consumer Vista looks equally polished as OS X. This is especially
true in the demo-tastic retail store environment.

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mattmaroon
I'm probably the closest thing to a fan Microsoft has, and even I can't really
see the point of the store. Microsoft only has one genuinely cool product, the
Xbox, so having one of those on a big LCD with Rock Band 2 for customers to
play might be pretty awesome. But that doesn't make for much of a store. Seems
like they'll need to fill it with third party products (that run their
software of course) to have a shot.

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snprbob86
The Microsoft company store (the internal one) recently moved to a new
location on campus. The new store is absolutely beautiful, but it carries a
wide range of products that seem to only be interesting to Microsoft
employees. Stuff like technical books, desk toys, t-shirts, etc. For sure, the
best sellers are employee discounted software (including games) and hardware
(including controllers, keyboards, etc). Zune also gets featured prominently.

I would expect a Microsoft store to sell a lot of partner's products. Building
3rd party ecosystems is kinda what Microsoft DOES. And they do it quite well.
I expect to see the store luring people in with Xbox 360, but then convincing
them to check out laptops from Dell, cell phones from HTC, and software from a
wide variety of ISVs.

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smoody
Microsoft used to have a store in San Francisco -- in the Metreon Mall. They
carried a lot Microsoft-logo-covered scwhag -- the kind of stuff they give
away at conferences -- mistakingly thinking that people would want to buy that
stuff for their home.

One disadvantage, from a retail perspective, is that there's no way to make a
a table full of computers from different vendors look beautiful. No matter
what you do, it will end-up looking like a mishmash of mostly ugly plastic
machines.

They should definitely follow in Apple's footsteps and give people free access
to the Internet -- that will, at a minimum, fill the store with people and
give the illusion that people are buying stuff. I think that worked to Apple's
advantage.

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msort
Instead, Microsoft should invest on improving microsoft.com.

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endtime
Why? Do you think it should have different functionality or a different
design? Or something else? I'm curious; it seems fine to me.

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unalone
It's ugly, cluttered, sloppy, and broken in a different way in each major
browser, including their own.

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rms
I would like to go on the record as saying I think this is a great idea and
that I expect the Microsoft stores to thrive.

