7 ms·

A Microsoft Store? Isn't that kind of like a Procter & Gamble Store?

11 points by technologizer 18y ago

mattmaroon 18y ago
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.
- snprbob86 18y ago
  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.
msort 18y ago
Instead, Microsoft should invest on improving microsoft.com.
- endtime 18y ago
  Why? Do you think it should have different functionality or a different design? Or something else? I'm curious; it seems fine to me.
  - unalone 18y ago
    It's ugly, cluttered, sloppy, and broken in a different way in each major browser, including their own.
  - msort 18y ago
    I was thinking that a company's Web site may be a more efficient way to communicate to people than physical stores, which may certainly help.
sh1mmer 18y ago
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.
rms 18y ago
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.
smoody 18y ago
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.

11 points by technologizer 18y ago

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.

snprbob86 18y ago
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.

msort 18y ago

Instead, Microsoft should invest on improving microsoft.com.

endtime 18y ago
Why? Do you think it should have different functionality or a different design? Or something else? I'm curious; it seems fine to me.
- unalone 18y ago
  It's ugly, cluttered, sloppy, and broken in a different way in each major browser, including their own.
- msort 18y ago
  I was thinking that a company's Web site may be a more efficient way to communicate to people than physical stores, which may certainly help.

sh1mmer 18y ago

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.

rms 18y ago

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.

smoody 18y ago

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.