Microsoft Opening Retail Stores Right Next To Apple Stores

@Skeetz: No Wai, Skeetz, Windows peeps bild and fix thr own PCs, I know cus I read it here all the time . Seriously though, what WOULD be amazingly helpful is if they could repair or replace 360s right there on the spot.

pixelpushing

@dimsum4u: I think it's gonna be cool. I can go geek out on 360 stuff, and get even more geek on next door with Apple products that I like to use too, like computers, OS's, and phones.

pixelpushing

@J_Frank_Parnell: I went in to the Genius Bar for a iPhone problem. After 5 minutes, they handed me a new one. This is one of the genius things about the Genius Bar

soopafly

@rcast1986: The store will basically show off how they're basically one step closer to Apple. "Look at Vista kids, just like OSX!!!"

soopafly

@TheWerewolf - Causing headlines!:


I didn't say filmmakers don't use PC's. I said filmmakers don't use CHEAP LAPTOPS. I am well aware of Avid and Vegas.

Is today anti-reading comprehension day or what?

@Soldier_CLE: So, you're a professional-military-filmmaker-doctor...">professional-military-filmmaker-doctor...... with a legal assistant and apparently hundreds of contacts between your trifecta of skills? Pull my other one.

Regardless, your experience is indicative of only your situation, not these three industries(well, if you want to call legal work industry) on the whole.

No, I do not have "substantial evidence" of the policies of law schools across the country(but neither do you, I might add), just people on various forums saying their law school's IT department does not allow them to use Examsoft on Boot Camp. I have not done an exhausting study, because this is a message board, not a board meeting.

I am an avid fan of film, so I know how movies are made. Uncompressed 720p HD 4:4:4 video requires 200 megabytes of space per second. 720p is well below film quality, and that doesn't include sound. Post-production lossy compression at 1080i is around 27 MB/s, or nearly 200 GB for two hours of still less-than-Blu-Ray resolution video.

No one who works with that much data on a daily basis is using a laptop on its own. This doesn't even take into account things like 5.1(or greater) audio mixing, visual effects, or output. How many laptops can do multiple HDMI-in/out or receive an HD-SDI signal? How portable can they be when wired to several monitors to test video output? These are things a professional filmmaker will use one a regular basis.

I don't know why you're trying to argue with me about tablet PC's (have you ever heard of a Straw Man argument?), since they are not mentioned in the Laptop Hunters ads, nor did I say anything about them in my original post. Apple doesn't make tablet PC's. There is nothing to discuss.

@m3tric: This is why people hate you

soopafly

@m3tric: I guess fanboys don't see patterns

soopafly

@superberg:
My dad went through law school with a Powerbook G3. He uses his Macbook Pro for work on the road, but has to use Windows in Parallels as his office uses WordPerfect. Macs are usable, in fact:
http://www.themaclawyer.com/

Will Ross

Hmm... Microsoft the new Circuit City?

En0s0ne... Now with auto-tune commenting

How's being a dick going for you?

EmilElephat

@m3tric:
If they were not copying anyone they wouldn`t say "right next door to Apple".
They would just say they are openning retail stores.
Just remove the naked Bill Gates picture from your locker.

pimas23

@armyofchuckness: *laughs* Good one. :)

@superberg: I hate to burst your bubble, but lots of video editing is done on PCs. Avid defined the marker for pro level tools in video and audio - and was one of the main companies for Mac pro tools for a long time - and now most of their products are PC only.

And most lawyers don't use computers in general. it's one of the slowest professions to become automated, which would tend to argue lawyers should move to Macs (given that they're portrayed as easy to use)... so a lawyer choosing a PC is actually a good story.

The great thing about this setup is that it's going to be that much easier for people going to the MS store to stop by and see what Mac is all about. Then they can make their decision.
And with regards to the McDo & BK comparison, MS is McDo and Apple is BK. People who would normally go to McDo say "Hey, why don't we go check out that BK next door?"

I think they just may be able to pull it off. maybe.

Actually the only reason why I haven't switched is primarily cost, though I do really want to be cool like the rest of you.

Sorta cool though, my wife and I do have iPhones.

Oh lord.. this has epic fail written all over it.

Apple sells computers - Microsoft sells software. People aren't going to come in to look at displays of boxes.

I suppose if they punch up the XBox 360 - and I'd love to say 'and the Zune' but I'll get injured... it might work.

But wow...

Still if they made the stores more as meeting places, made them brightly coloured and had coffee, maybe get a starbucks in there - a place for computer users to hang out - might work.

Better than hanging out in a sterile white museum filled with faux-cheery drones.

@m3tric: I was actually cheering for you in your posts above until I saw this one. Now I have no respect for you, pathetic fanboy.

Why is this a big deal? There was a microsoft store in the Sony Metreon here in San Francisco a few years ago, it failed.. Not all that surprisingly really. Microsoft has NEVER had a new or creative thought amongst any of the people directing software development, they don't manufacture their own hardware, and frankly their OS stinks. Most people I know who use MS operating systems don't do so because they like it, they do so because there are more programs out there. If you want to be a sheep, fine go with it.. Enjoy.

This will fail. Just wait and watch.

Scandal.ous

@dimsum4u: LOL. Excellent idea;

Scandal.ous

@rip: I worked at a mall that had the first (and possibly only) dell retail store (not kiosk). I would go there on my breaks and it was really easy to get a computer to BSOD. Also, they didn't hook their computers to the internet. I wonder if Microsoft will have internet ready computers in the store....half the people in an apple store at any given time are just using the internet.

vagabondblue

For some reason I think (read: know, first hand) that ex-Apple store employees will be working in these retail stores.

Ayeco

@superberg:

My video editing were done on a Tablet PC (Motion Computing J3400 Tablet) on the spot for DoD use (and the product were commercial quality.) I needed a product that were rugged, able to withstand combat duty conditions and were able to be used in inclimate conditions.

The kit worked just fine.

My Primary laptop that I used were an ASUS V90 which performed functions with Vegas just fine. It enabled me to flawlessly work with Vegas and Cinescore, as well as Acid7 Pro.

No BSoDs occured. For that matter, I didn't lag. The only thing I needed to do (considering the conditions) were to safely find a place for me to hotswap the drives and film between cameras.

As for Medical tablet versus paper, the trend is to go green. Motion Computing, Fujitsu and others have long since contracted with reputable organizations, like the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, in performing in tried and true methods of tableting. The F5 and C5 versions are commonly used in civilian and military hospitals around the world, and are currently effective in e-faxing information from one site to another (i.e; Combat Support Hospital relays patient's condition to MEDEVAC, who in return transmits to a Regional Medical Command.) Similar implementations are done on medical campuses, where the MS Ink'ed medicalorder is quickly scribed to pharmacy, or other medical wings at the flick of a stylus stroke.


Law School -- Not allowing to run boot camp? Can you provide substantial evidence of this? Where in their policies does it state this? I ask this, since I know quite a few people who are going to Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, as well as CaseLaw in Cleveland -- Some of whom are allowed to BootCamp.

My assistant being one of them.

@rip:
MS will die off as soon as people realize they can get better computers, and a better OS, CHEAPER, and 2 years earlier.

I can't wait for the world to wake up and realize how pathetic MS is

@Gabriel Hojman:
Yeah, I think MS will be attempting to highlight the differences between Macs and PCs such as price and software/hardware diversity. Unfortunately for them, they WILL be highlighting a lot of their shortcomings as well. A store full of PCs always has a couple BSODs, frozen machines, infected machines, etc. And the logistical nightmare people will have when they go in for simple hardware repairs that are still under manufacturer's warranties. MS cannot be anything more than a middle man. Why would they do this next to an Apple store that offers a "unified" experience? They handle their own inventory, services, and repair. My feeling is that MS is not trying to seriously compete for revenue. They're just want to make their presence known.

PoMo

@cpthook:

Yes, that's exactly what I meant. Microsoft positioned itself for the masses; the masses shop at Wal*mart. No value judgment in any part of my statement.

right next to apple!? lol, this is perfect for apple! they can offer coffee and hand out flyers for the long line of people waiting to get their pc fixed.

Gabriel Hojman

@m3tric: He's employed. In this economy, that's quite a lot.

Oh, wait, it looks like you're just talking smack to anyone who likes Apple.

Lol...pathetic. How's that trolling choice going for you?

@m3tric: ad hominem argument! alert!

BING should just be their new brand, and the rest they should just throw overboard. THEN they've got an interesting name for a store.

Ulysses_11

@Soldier_CLE: I said LAPTOP, not PC. Obviousy, there are many people that use PC's for video production. But high-end video done in a timely manner requires massive amounts of storage, RAM, and processing, which laptops do not excel at. No pro video house is running on a laptop of ANY OS, even one that costs up to $2,000. If a laptop is bought to compliment that rig, it will be of the same OS as the main computer. Final Cut houses will use Apple, Vegas(Or Avid) houses will use Windows.


Conversely, any modern laptop can do simple SD video editing, but in the commercial they are vague. She describes herself as a filmmaker, implying that video is her life.


Second, there are numerous reports of law students not being able to use Macs for their studies, because the test software is PC-only. Apparently this is beginning to change, but programs like Examsoft will only run on Windows, and some schools will not allow users to use Boot Camp to run it. That particular ad is about a girl going to law school. So, I stand corrected. Once you graduate law school, you have more options.


As for medical work, there are no Mac tablets, though there is the incredibly expensive Axiotron modbook option. Of course, there is a small contingent of doctors still working on Newtons and Palm Pilots. To be honest, I've never met a doctor that wasn't doing their work on good old fashioned paper, though.

How about the following bars?
Lockup? Freeze? Bluescreen? 400 000 virus bar? Or my favourite, the "Reinstallation Bar"
Windows 95=Mac 89
Widgets=Gadgets and so on
Hopefully people like the mice, keyboards, webcams and Zunes or it wil be a total flop. One last thing, the point of it all for their "Operating Sysem"
D.O.S=Unix, altered for your programming pleasure!

Craig Macartney

Bring it.

chrstphr

@superberg: You're wrong on both accounts.

1. I have done professional video work with a PC, and let me tell you that the work came out amazing with Sony Vegas Suite!

2. I have seen people use MacBook Pro laptops to work with LEXUS/NEXUS, WestLaw and use the MicroSoft Office products to their Macs.

I think what you meant to say is that you can't do sufficient touch-based tablet medical transcription on Apple Products (yet).

@brutaluser:I was thinking the same thing. So it's going to be a retail floor full of software cardboard boxes, exciting!

@DonLaFontaine: You're dead for a reason.
You know what? He actually seemed like a cool guy. I'm not gunna take out my dislike of your comment on his memory.

@seizurelitezrfun: Brand awareness and image. Apple thrives on showing off what "cool new" features their products have, even if the features aren't particularly cool or new (see "copy/cut/paste", "video recording", "built-in webcam", etc.). This will just spread the idea to consumers that there are more things you can get with Microsoft that you can't with Apple.

Haha...

"Ohhh if its not just a store with software and hardware, then its must be the location... get hold of ANY building nearby a Apple Store so we can get some of the pockey moneys that Apple are so good at ripping from people."

malu05

@armyofchuckness: I seriously thought I was being clever and original every time I posed the question to my parents. Apparently not so much.

@Greg Lloyd: +85, the maximum number of people allowed inside my local Apple Store per the fire code.

xwildebeestx

Apple stores make sense, since they sell hardware (notebooks, towers, portable devices, etc.) as well as software and accessories to accompany them. Aside from the XBox and Zune, Microsoft is a software company. I just don't see how these stores make any sense or that they will be a success. Especially when I can buy most to all of Microsoft's products at numerous other stores for less money than MSRP.

I worked for Apple when the stores where being created and I can tell you B was the reason they created them.

They where absolutely tired of Compusa and BestBuy (whom they had actually dumped as a partner they where so tired of their salesmen) and knew they where not getting a fair shake in the retail sector.

The only reason Compusa was able to keep their Apple section, was they had to agree to have Apple salemen in the store from that point forward.

Jim Topoleski

@trucknuts: I don't even understand what they will stock a full store with. They aren't as hardware intensive as Apple.

@OrbitalGun: Not really a money issue. More of a common business practice issue, combined with Apple's "been here first" position.

@JayhawkJake: You work at an Apple store? Lol...pathetic. How's that career choice going for you?

m3tric

@S-Express: I know! Who sets up retail stores to sell their products?! The audacity! ....again, please un-insert the apple dildo from your bum

m3tric

@rip: Heavens, no one has ever set up a RETAIL store to sell strictly THEIR products have they??? They MUST be copying the almighty Apple! .....Lord, go get a new bottle of lotion for your apple dildo

m3tric

@SportsCentre:

People going into an Apple store know they can get a computer hat costs less. This isn't going hurt or help anyone.

seizurelitezrfun

@Noobs-R-Us: While I think Microsoft will fail miserably at this, creating a store is not ripping off Apple. Apple did not invent the store and just about everyone has one and HAD them before Apple. Creating a store is meant to compete with Apple, but using a concept that has been used a billion times before is not ripping off Apple.

seizurelitezrfun

@Preyfar:

How would selling the 360 at a store next to Apple hurt Apple? They're two completely different things that do not compete with each other.

seizurelitezrfun

@OrbitalGun:

You know that Apple has over $29 billion lying around that they can piss away on anything, right? They have the money to do that.

seizurelitezrfun

@VenomIreland:

Because they don't want their store up in flames from exploding batteries?

seizurelitezrfun

@Nuno Miguel Aguiar:

How is Apple screwed? It's not like people don't already know Apple doesn't have any MacBooks under $999 and no decent desktop under $1000 and there are a shitload of low cost PCs. People who buy Macs already know there are already a bunch of other, probably cheaper options. And I doubt Microsoft can make a store as attractive and simplistic as Apple without making it look like a clear rip-off. A Microsoft store will either be software, Zunes, and XBox or they'll have a bunch of PCs, too, and it'll be just like a Best Buy or tech store.

seizurelitezrfun

One of the biggest draws of an Apple Store is the non-retail stuff it offers. Stuff like Genius Bar, OneToOne training, workshops, etc. The non-retail stuff plays a big part in enticing customers to buy a Mac/iPhone, so they can be a part of it all.

I think the same strategy would actually work wonders for Microsoft. How many people out there have tons of Microsoft software on their machines and have no clue how to use 90% of it? If Microsoft focused on offering workshops and training in its stores--teaching people how to make effective use of Word and PowerPoint, showing them nifty features of Windows 7, etc. I think they would do extremely well. And they wouldn't step on the toes of their retail partners either.

It wouldn't make that much money for them directly, but hey, they're Microsoft; they can afford to be spendy.

I find it a little ironic that on one hand Microsoft is increasingly focusing on digital delivery of its software products--Windows 7 pre-orders are digital download, Office 2010 has a 'streaming' client and MS will soon open digital download stores for Windows Mobile and full Xbox 360 games--while on the other hand, it's working on these retail stores, where it will sell boxed versions of all the abovementioned products.

What I want to know is when my 360 goes RROD, will I be able to take it to the Microsoft store to send it off for repair?

@royoftroy: Permission to accept the virus? I think you are thinking of a trojan. Viruses require no interaction.

Trojan's exist for any operating system, viruses are almost exclusive to Windows.

lowbatteries

@microsoft-closes-the-quarter-with-less-c.../

lowbatteries

@Lite: is on a boat.: Exclusivity clauses are very common; I own a small business (a music school in this case), and my lease (in my small-ish town) says that no other music schools will open in the same building.

JazzBri

@phor11: Agreed. M$ has dominated the software sector, but lacks specialized hardware - They would never be able to offer tech support in-store like Apple, and even if they did, the store would be full of people with PC problems - given the number of PCs owned compared to Macs, and the rate of occurrence of BSODS. It will be interesting to see the M$ when it happens.

YoungDeezy

This pleases me greatly. I bet Microsoft would have the gall to put a comparable iPod next to their Zunes, and a macbook with some medium to high range laptops to sell on features vs cost.

kernel panic

@royoftroy:
Yeah because microsoft doesn't sell their products out of other stores....

@BacteriaEP: Not necessarily disagreeing with you, but I pretty much lol'd at most of your list.

Rockband hookup for crowds? lol, that was so 2 years ago.

Zune. They'll have them. And no one will care.

WinMo. Seriously? People will look at the phones (since some have nice designs), then put them down in disgust after spending 15 minutes futilely trying to browse a webpage.

Software? There are already, um, plenty of places to buy software. Unless you are talking about showcasing Visual Basic. Now that will be a crowdpleaser.

Videogames. No better place? You mean other than Gamestop, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Amazon or any other store that sells videogames by the truckload?

rip

@Wireless Joe: But Apple already does???

Oh those silly pronouns, they sure make english fun. :)

@FritzLaurel: Well, OSX Snow Leopard is a whole lot cheaper than Windows 7. And it doesn't have copy protection.

rip

Tenis? A near-Freudian slip?

@EncNone: Wow, I hope you were just trolling. Otherwise, I'm picturing you recently going out and buying some flannel shirts to get into that new "grunge" look.

rip

@phor11: Zunes!! Walls and walls of Zunes!

And an old Microsoft cordless phone from the 90's.

rip

Microsoft copying someone's successful idea? Shocking.

btw, I see this going about as well as Gateway Country's or Dell kiosks.

rip

@trucknuts: I disagree for a few reasons: Microsoft has the 360, and them selling games and consoles at the Microsoft Store will provide direct competition for Gamestop as well as Apple. They have a number of competitors in those malls besides the aluminum fruit.

Does this mean we finally get to see affordable Mac Pro's???!!! If so, I'm all for Microsoft opening up store fronts! With corporate competition, the only people that win are the CONSUMERS!

LouisJebber

Nothing wrong with having both parties trying to have a even ground and pull in customers.

@phor11: I do think i recall a post on gizmodo saying that MS was actually going to get into the PC making biz, but i guess that idea sorta died away.

What a joke - MS need to get an original idea!

S-Express

@dimsum4u:

(snickers) i actually like your idea. I Especially enjoy the fact that if MS began doing any physical harm to apple products, that the fanboys might blow a fuse and physically attack them...

"That probably includes topless girls fully oiled and playing Virtua Tenis using Natal."

i'm sure they wouldn't refrain from doing a tasteful version of that providing that it brought in business.

@iEro-Sennin: I don't know if you've tried the 360 yet, but its a damn good solid *hardware* platform. Your analysis falls there really. I think the attitude is to keep the consumers satisfied, they're a huge company and they can go that many different directions. And its not really a "war", just constant competition, and by sales wise compared the Apple computers, they win, compared to Sony PS3, they win. Sure they don't excel in everything, but I'm being realistic here ero-sennin perv lol.

nerve11

@xbinflux: Yeah, they should be able to resolve issues.. but they could also treat it the same way they do over the phone. Anything they think is non-microsoft software related is pushed back onto the third party manufacturer(like video cards)/developer(software). I'm not saying it's the wrong thing to do but having to do that all day is going to suck large for the "geniuses"

Skeetz

@lancec50: Or people will look at the ipod, stop and go into the MS store, and buy a Zune : ) Works either way. But at this point I'd say it would lean towards the zune, people are gonna start saying "Man, same thing as everyone else, time for a change!"

Setting up stores for microsoft is doubtful that it will negate their sales, in fact its almost certain that they will steal Apple's sales when people say "Holy crap! Half the price for nearly the same thing!"

nerve11

Nothing with a little competition. Maybe Apple will finally lower their fucking prices!

@tande04: King smuggles himself!

@royoftroy:

He's been forming in the wrong line for the last 10 years... now it's time to tell him his MacPro is actually a Dell...

uRbAnlP

@EncNone: Microsoft sold their Apple share -- at a significant profit -- some time ago.

They do have never funded Apple. They made a major stock investment and promised to develop Office for Mac in 1997. In 1998, Apple released the iMac and returned to profitability.

The MSFT investment kept Apple from going under, but Apple is a very different company now. Anyone who knows their tech history is aware of this.

Time kept passing after The Pirates of Silicon Valley, you know.

@danger the pirate: You really think Microsoft is going to put demo PC's in their retail stores?
They can't just build their own PC's and then not sell them, and I certainly don't see them getting into the PC hardware business to compete against some of their biggest customers. And I also don't see Microsoft wanting to retail Dell and HP machines.

I understand they can set up Zunes and Xboxes, but if they want to compete with apple retail (which they obviously do or they wouldn't purposefully set up shop right next door), then they're going to need PC's and Laptops to sell and support. Both ways to make that happen just don't seem very likely.

@EncNone: Aww, looks like someone just got done watching "Pirates of Silicon Valley" for the first time. Non-voting stock from 15 years ago doesn't matter anymore.

NightElfMohawk

@Noobs-R-Us: For every mouse sold at the Apple store, a laptop is sold for the same price : )

But honestly, they open a store, and you say they're copying? Haha! Fanboy.

nerve11

I work at an apple store, and if Microsoft opened up next door, all I'd do is laugh at how little traffic they actually get.

JayhawkJake

Finally, a full-sized version of last year's attempt. http://gizmodo.com/5072542/microsoft-parks-im-a-pc-recording-kiosks...

MePerson

@trucknuts: The same thing would apply to MS, they'd be promoting their own products in their own store while probably stealing some Apple customers. And even if someone doesn't buy it at the MS store, they might say "I'll have to check it out at Best Buy later." Also to note, its not like a MS store is going to be built in every city. MS is only going to increase its sales.

nerve11

@mhr512: Sure, because there is no such thing as a business that can fix/repair PCs.

There are companies everywhere that service and repair PCs. Stop hanging around at the genius bar and drinking Apple's kool-aid.

J_Frank_Parnell

@JackHoliday:

Frodo lives!

EncNone

@VenomIreland:
Not so much to promote the Xbox, but it would help sell Sony's laptops, and its not like they'd be losing anything from it.

nerve11

lol? everyone knows Microsoft FUNDS apple and saved them from going out of business in the past.

this is more like double teaming, or running the train, on consumers.

EncNone

I think Apple is screwed MS will have cheaper products but they will break twice as often making you go there to buy more hence pushing up there profits. ;)

Nuno Miguel Aguiar

@xbinflux: They feel extremely uncomfortable? Is that why they're so packed every time I walk by? Wait - I'm confused...

Greg Lloyd

I know the Zune is kind of a popular whipping boy, but I bet having the new Zune HD's OLED screen and attractive menu system featured right next to all those Ipods might just steer a few more people MS's way.

@nbolmer: Um, actually it's not. Exclusivity clauses are extremely popular, and in a mall situations can be kind of fun to piece together. Not only are there exclusivity requirements, but co-tenancy as well. When did antitrust become this popular buzz word and generic solution to anything people disagree with?

XanderCrews

@OMG! Ponies!: i was trying to figure out what that law was called. thank you

bagseed

So, when these fail as horribly as the Dell Kiosks that were set up outside Apple Stores in my area of the States, what then?

NightElfMohawk

@Skeetz: Although if they could pull off a "Genius" bar, I think they'd keep some PC folk from defecting to Mac. After all, being able to talk to a person face-to-face to resolve a tech issue is why my Dad decided to switch to Apple for his next computer. He can't be the only one.

@Lite: is on a boat.: Because of course Apple has so much more money than Microsoft...

@VenomIreland: Can you say Vaio? Games ain't the only game in town, dude.

@mhr512: I fixed hundreds of PCs and they aren't all that different if you know what you are doing. The main problem with Geek Squad is that it's staffed by severely under-qualified people. Some of the basic crap that any computer technician should know is completely beyond them. If you actually have Microsoft trained personel, I'd be shocked if they would have trouble with any software issues that come in. Heck, I bet they even fix some hardware issues too.

Of the truly stupid shit Geek Squad sees, most of it is physical damage, which (surprise) the Genius Bar folk can't do shit about either.

WAIT. I think this will tie in to their "It's a PC" campaign. Everyone walking next door to buy a PC.

I hate those ads. They're incredibly misleading. A video pro would never buy a cheap laptop, and most lawyers can't use a Mac for legal work.

I'll go to the new store and buy my windows 7 pc there as soon as it opens.

mikegriffin

@imTheKing: I don't know about that. Most of Wal-Mart's demographic buy Xboxes anyway. The only Wal-Marty place that actually sells a lot of PCs is Sam's Club, where they have like one or two at a fair discount.

Microsoft's demographic is mainly split between the business world and gamers, so they would be better off at Best Buy anyway, where, at least at the Best Buy closest to me, it seems that Apple has basically rented floor space to try to target their demographic. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be working. I have actually heard more than once someone as the Apple sales clerk "But why is this better again? It's, like, almost twice as much as that one over there."

It seems that the whole Apple -in-Best By side-by-side thing seems to be working out for some PC models, so maybe Microsoft figured it'd work out on a larger scale.

The topless girls reference might have worked if you'd have spelled "Tennis" correctly...

Ronin317

@stldoug: I doubt they'll partner with Sony, reasons should be obvious.

@Lite: is on a boat.: That would be a blatant anti-trust issue. I doubt seriously that such a clause (if it exists) would carry in court.

nbolmer

Isn't this like when we used to ask our parents why there's no Children's Day?

Silly Microsoft. Every store is a Windows store.

@dimsum4u: That is a very nice idea, I wonder if malls would try to prevent crowding in the walkways though.

I don't like seeing microsoft advertise like this, I want them to sit quietly and release new versions of software that people want. I'm a pc buy a laptop with a "random" person not so amusing. Sadly apple figured out how to advertise, put functionality and use on screen rather than a sony style ad...

awdark

@Noobs-R-Us: You are over simplifying. This is about visibility, showcasing, and direct customer interaction. These locations don't have to make a dime for them to be a net benefit to MS (assuming that they're well done.) Consider them giant, interactive advertisements. There are some ramifications for you, fanboy.

XanderCrews

@lancec50: If Microsoft does this right, they will have free assistance with Windows-based machines. Any Windows-based machines. If they do that, I think it will do the exact opposite of what you think.

Most people's gripes with Windows systems occur when something breaks. Yeah, it happens more frequently with Windows, but it stems from Windows being inherently more open than OS X. If there are people there trained to deal with these problems quickly, then it kinda seems like they aren't really that big of a deal. Most major businesses use Windows, and there are IT people who just fix everything, and people go on with their lives at work. If you apply this same idea to the at-home personal use systems, then much the same result will occur: people will just have it fixed and go on with their lives. That's kinda the core business strategy of Apple, and it'd really suck for them if Microsoft actually fixed the one thing that really turns people off about PCs. Since we know that they haven't been able to do it with the software, I say kudos to them for finding a different appraoch to tackle that problem.

in an unrelated story, they're opening a cheesecake factory in boston's north end

bagseed

Great. A Zune Store next door to an iPod Store. That's what these are. MS needs no help selling 360's or Windows, although it would be nice if they do RRoD repairs there.



I think its likely there will be actual fanboy fights at these locations. Instigated by BOTH parties.

@Lite: is on a boat.: I thought the same thing, but MS had the kiosks right in front Apple stores before, which leads one to believe that Apple didn't do a great job with its lease terms.

XanderCrews

@phearx: Last time you checked there weren't any Microsoft stores to form a line in...

royoftroy

What the hell is a Microsoft? Is that like for the Zune?

mmmiles

@Noobs-R-Us: Sorta like when Apple ripped off Xerox's GUI, right?

@Adisah: Except that they won't have permissions to accept the virus so it won't be able to get through... Nice try though.

royoftroy

Hmmm.. I can see how they'll have a Zune and stuff.. but what about the laptop section? A microsoft brand laptop?

derilium

@Magic Beans? Sure, I'll Buy Some!!: Yeah, you tell 'em.

Cause Apple would never need anything from Microsoft in order to make their systems palatable to a target demographic, now would they. I mean, its not like Microsoft produces a product that could ever be a requirement for, say, every single businessperson in the Western world, is it?

And I bet those bastards at Microsoft will be just cheeky enough to have big sign up when the Office for Mac stuff is on sale 35% cheaper than what it costs at the Apple store. That's just nonsense right there.

@EBone: AKA Leech King.

@lancec50: I think you missed the part about people at malls not being completely biased Apple nerds.

royoftroy

such great marketing, too bad they don't spend the same amount of time designing NEW creative products

xethanolx

@tande04: Umm your posts are dripping with smug ALWAYS. Calme the eff down.

Dillinger23

@MichelleDatsun: How is that worse than having only one version of a store that a large part of the potential customer base feels extremely uncomfortable just being in.

There is a balance here, and lots of very successful retail groups have found that balance. Gap Inc is a perfect example of that.

@dandaman247:wow you’re a rabid one areant you?

Dillinger23

@OMG! Ponies!: You know how hard it is to find one of those trackballs now? I bought one for home use many years ago, and when I started my current job in '06 I wanted one for the office. It took several months of searching and waiting to get one.

@lancec50:

That's a pretty idiotic statement right there. At BestBuy and Fry's they both have the Mac stations and PC notebook stations right next to each other and yet... somehow... the PCs still manage to sell more. Why? Because of pricing, choice, and power.

Microsoft has plenty more to show than Apple does. Sure, maybe they aren't all Microsoft products, but they don't have to be. They just have to be products that use a Microsoft system in one way or another.

Here's a quick list of what Microsoft can show in it's store:

1. Xbox 360 (with a Beatles Rockband hook-up maybe? Sure would get the crowds in)
2. Zune (including the Zune HD at this point)
3. Zune accessories
4. Desktop PCs (all featuring the brand new Win7)
5. Notebook PCs (all featuring the brand new Win7)
6. WinMo 6.5 phones (WinMo 7 later)
7. SOFTWARE (holy bejeezus is there a lot of software they can showcase at there own store.)
8. Videogames (No better place to sell 360 and GFWL games)
9. Finally... all the cool shit that Microsoft comes up with but doesn't have an outlet to show common people, i.e. Microsoft Surface.

If anything I'd say Microsoft may have too much stuff they to show off/sell. It may be kinda hard for them to place them in a store as small as an Apple store...

@Dirk: I thought there was some sort of autoban on "will it blend" jokes.

But a 150 ft Crysis demo at the MS store. That would be quite amusing.

@Robotic Bilbo Bagins has no use for fleshy ones: I think the gaming angle should be a no-brainer for the Microsoft retail setups. And they should make the screens for the live demos so big that everyone inside the Apple stores has no other choice but to see them. Maybe all that glass was a bad idea after all?

I kind of find it somewhat funny, the reason Apple opened their stores in the first place is because the a) couldn't get retailers to carry their product and/or b) they didn't like the fact that the BestBuy guys (or whoever) would steer people away from the Mac (wether on purpose or because they lacked the expertise).

Apple basically created a world for their customers where people can't compare the products side by side and don't even get the chance to think about any other solutions. I think MS has figured this out and now want to make sure that when people go into the Apple store at least they will see something MicroSoft. (Even though it's next door)

I'm sure they plan on partnering up with the likes of Sony, HP and Dell. They have nothing to lose in doing this. I guess they think people will at least think about the alternatives.

stldoug

@OMG! Ponies!: Gotta agree on the MS peripherals. Sturdy little troopers.

Robotic Bilbo Bagins has no use for fleshy ones

Pwuahaha...PWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Kakkoister

@OMG! Ponies!: Most apple stores do not suffer from that problem, but I certainly appreciate their cleanly laid out interiors.

@Dr.Danger owns the city turkeys: How so? People don't buy Macs for gaming, and nobody buys a Zune or 360 to make phone calls on.

Shawn Pero

@tande04: I own a MBP and a Mini. I like them a lot. I also own a hand-build PC for exclusively gaming, and my MBP dual boots between Win 7 and OSX. It's just mostly in OSX.

There is pretty much nothing I can't do in OSX that I can do in Windows beyond some games. Personally I think Vista is an absolute tragedy of an OS release. I rank it up there with Windows ME. I find it pathetic that Windows 7 is just now being released now, when it is what Vista should have been.

I don't feel smug about owning a Mac. I know where my priorities lie when it comes to clean hardware design, generally good customer service, and an OS that doesn't eat itself over time.

I'm glad that Microsoft has pulled its head out of its ass over Windows 7, and seems to be making a genuinely good product once again.

And no Wireless Joe, Walmart isn't their demographic. In fact, Walmart has been selling machines w/ Linux on them so that they can sell machines that much cheaper w/out the license fees.

I'm looking forward to Microsoft actually developing something revolutionary (Natal) rather than merely flooding the market with cheap inferior versions of software that they feel competes with their vision.

@cpthook: And 95% of the world is over populated.

imTheKing

@dandaman247:
Sorry, I'm not a fanboy, but last time I checked their weren't many, if any, lines for any Microsoft products that I know of....Which is all I was saying.

@tande04: They do but an iPhone is a pretty inexpensive purchase, accept for the plan itself. People are more likely to purchase a Windows machine in Wal-mart. Actually, did Wal-mart even lead the sales of PC's last holiday season?

Either way, slightly off the subject, I think Wal-mart needs to figure out a way to clean the customer base when they enter and leave the stores. That way it will be a slightly better experience going into Wal-mart.

imTheKing

So like Windows and Office they will have 17 different versions of basically the same store?

MichelleDatsun

@danger the pirate: It will be a miss. It is going to help people choose the better computer. And Microsoft is not the winner there. People will stop in look at a Zune and then go buy an Ipod next door. I think this will propel Apple further into the minds of PC owners.

lancec50

@Dr.Danger owns the city turkeys:

Yeah, 360s and PCs with couches and whole sha-bang. They should put sticky notes on the Windows 7 boxes that say "Dual boot on Macs for your gaming fix"

Robotic Bilbo Bagins has no use for fleshy ones

@Wireless Joe: Good point! Maybe Lauren can work there!

Magic Beans? Sure, I'll Buy Some!!

dude that would be awesome

you get a gold star

Joshua Jehryan

@Skeetz:
Let's pray for the health of the unfortunate employees that there is nothing there akin to the Mac Geniuses. I can't imagine what stupid shit the Geek Squad sees. Now imagine you're actually a Microsoft employee in a Microsoft store. Not good.

@dimsum4u: A "will it blend" joke? Really?

Dirk

@brutaluser: Like you said: Xboxes. They'll probably also sell Zunes, games for PC and Xbox, and software for PCs. On paper, it sounds good. How it goes, no one knows.

North Star

To make it more exciting Microsoft should have a giant monitor that faces outside with Natal running. And people should be playing Natal outside right next to the Apple store. Get people curious and then they start walking into the store. These wars are definitely fun. Apple should answer by having a stand outside that says "will it blend" and just begin blending Msft products.

That is such tacky nonsense. Bastards! Just like Lowe's did. I hate that business style. God forbid you stand on your own feet and try to succeed like Apple has in a retail storefront market. MEH!!!

Magic Beans? Sure, I'll Buy Some!!

@tande04:
I'm not a Mac guy, but I'm smug and I think the Wal-Mart crowd are plebes too. Can I join their club without buying a Mac?

@EBone: Yep IIRC it was part of the franchise program for Subway as well.

They wanted to be able to say that they had as many stores so they just made sure they always opened one next to a McDonald's.

tande04

Except that many malls now build in exclusivity clauses to attract specialty retailers. Thus why there is no other book store in a mall if there is a Borders/Barnes & Noble there.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple do that too.

What are they going to sell....sure they can sell xbox cr...stuff and mabey windows stuff but Microsoft really doesnt DO hardware...ohh buy are software that you tried on a computer for 30 seconds......

@phearx: More like the long lines outside the Microsoft store when the people waiting for the new products from Apple realize they can pay half the amount of money for a better product...oh wait...it won't be shiny...your right.

dandaman247

Honestly, this is just going to give more sales to Apple.

Now people can directly compare the two.

Imagine walking into that microsoft store, on the display computers the FIRST thing someone is going to do is get a virus that pop-ups porn all over the main screen.

"OMG!!! It wasn't me!!" That would be hella funny. :P

Adisah

People will have to be very careful around these stores. I mean, if you own a Mac and walk into the Microsoft store, or own a PC and walk into the Apple store, it could cause you to burst into flames, or at least be mobbed my a group of fanboys!

I can see it now: Fanboys cage fighting in an octagon just outside the stores. One yelling about how Macs don't get viruses and the other yelling how Apple has only a small market share. We could all place bets on who will win, and laugh...

Excellent, I can't wait to ask questions at the "Smartass Bar".

On a serious note, if they have gaming demo setups going on, Apple is going to be hurt

The battle for Middle Earth has begun...

@Wireless Joe: You mean the demographic of, say, 95% of all computer users around the world?

Btw, every single Mac owner I know, myself included, owns at least one pc running some windows os as well, so... not sure why you're so smug.

cpthook

The only reason Apple went into retail was because the big box stores were dropping their products and only supporting Microsoft. So MS thinks it's a good move to start competing against the retailers who support them? good luck, since most of them are already going out of business because they can't beat online store margins..it's like they try to FAIL.

trucknuts

Oh man, this is going to be great. Not in the sense that it'll be successful or anything, it's just going to be fun to watch as streams of people flock to the microsoft store, because it'll be the easiest avenue of complaining about Windows. Hahahaha, this is going to be hilarious.

It would be a chance to show off Surface, which is never going to be a real consumer product (though someone else may eventually make a good touch-table-display to run Windows 7 on, and I'd buy it), and Natal, which is vaporware.

But unless they shamelessly rip off the Genius Bar (as they should) I think it will fail.

jdale

In the beginning of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) era in the early 90s, McDonalds would spend over a million dollars in GIS analysis of the optimum spot for new franchise locations, based on demographics of household size, income, property value, etc.

And Burger King would see where McDonalds positioned themselves, and would say, "We'll go in right across the street."

@Skeetz: Exactly... They couldn't possibly have a support function at their locations. There are too many different PC manufacturers out there to handle.

Apple being proprietary makes the genius bar possible.

mhr512

@imTheKing: Eh, last I checked Walmart was selling iPhones.

tande04

This will be such a massive fail the likes of which we've not seen.... Do they not realize how many mice they will have to sell to make rent? Here's a prime example of MSFT's copy machine at work. They love to just copy someone without much thought as to the ramifications.

Noobs-R-Us

@Donathius: Microsoft also sells some very good peripherals. I'm still using my Optical Trackball that I got around 2003. Plus, there are partnership opportunities, not just with PC makers, but also on the cellphone front.

And I'm not a fan of any of the Apple Stores in NYC. Station A has one of the worst staircases I've ever seen. I can't walk down them without watching precisely where I step because the turquoise lucite makes it hard to dilineate each step.

@phor11: 360s w/ natal, various top games, Zunes, various computers running Win 7. i would think, at very least, this would help them out with selling some zunes. setting up right next to apple stores could be hit or miss.

With 90% of the market, and nearly every business using Windows, how are they possibly going to have enough moneyto do this? Maybe they should invest in tight pants....or shiny stuff...

l4crosse

lol this is gonna be funny in my opinion. Can't wait to see empty microsoft store when Apple releases new products and have huge lines waiting to get in.

Finally, Microsoft copying something that Apple's doing ... boy, it's about time ...

@tande04: come on. You know he's right.

imTheKing

@iEro-Sennin: Wow! A Godwin after only 6 minutes. On an Apple/Microsoft post too.

Please enter your initials in the Hall of Fame.

I guess the idea being, if people actually compare prices on computers, they'll pick a PC.

@Wireless Joe: I've said it before, I'll say it again. I'm glad the apple fanboys stopped trying to hide the immense smugness and general contempt for everyone not like them.

tande04

I think he wants us to stay tuned.

smurph0404

Apple has its own hardware to sell in their retail stores... that's why a retail store makes sense.
What on earth is Microsoft going to put in its stores?

Just set up several Xbox 360s with natal. Bam. Already better than an apple store.

Can't wait to see how apple responds.

So what you're saying is I have a legit reason to start carrying a handgun in a mall? I can only imagine the brawls that will ensue when the stores start opening.

I will be opening Ubuntuporiums in the near future to add to the competition. Expect them to have that dollar store feeling when you walk in.

tok3ninja; is the best non-star commenter

If they do that then they'll just drive more traffic to the Apple store that Apple normally wouldn't get.

"Well, the Apple store is right next door... let's see what they have."

funkonaut

Stupid double posts..

tok3ninja; is the best non-star commenter

They should just rent floorspace in every Wal*mart to target the demographic.

Kickin' it like McyD's vs the King

superhumanben

It'll be like a real life PC vs. Mac commercial!

Andrew Knight

@iEro-Sennin: Reductio ad Hitlerum! Reductio ad Hitlerum!

Skeetz

@hoffmanbike: I know exactly what you're saying (CT resident). This should be an interesting endeavor.

tok3ninja; is the best non-star commenter

This should be interesting. One of the big things that is appealing about the Apple Stores is the pleasant design and flow of the store (huge crowds not withstanding). I also wonder just what MS is going to do with this. It's not like they make THAT much stuff that is consumer oriented. They have plenty of enterprise oriented products but who goes to the mall to buy a copy of Server 2003?

I'm thinking they'll have a fair amount of software (including 3rd party stuff), XBoxes (plus games/accessories), and Zunes. Unless they're going to start selling 3rd party hardware from Dell, HP, etc.

this reminds me of when Walmart moved stores right next to all the Meijer stores in my area. Still shop at Meijer.

Worked for Subway.

tande04

I went to the Microsoft retail store at the Metreon in San Francisco. Apple has nothing to worry about.

They make the same mistake the Nazis(well Hitler) did back in WW2. Fighting on too many fronts at the same time. What's up with that attitude? They just can't win this war and they know it - why can't they just stick to what they can do best: Software?

iEro-Sennin

i hope they open one in holyoke, ma right next to my nearest apple store. competition at it finest.. just like home depot right next to lowes; walmart right next to kmart right next to target and stop & shop right next to big-y (sorry some northestern only companies)

hoffmanbike

Can't wait to see the Microsoft "Geniuses" have perpetual heart attacks as people bring in all manner and brand of hacked up computers.

Skeetz

Oooooohhhhhh.....a store that sells software, Zunes and video game systems.
I bet Apple is scared.

ottermann

Just got back from changing my underwear after reading this. DO WANT.

Douchebaggery: You're doing it like a skilled professional

@armyofchuckness:

My thoughts exactly. MS has always been in the retail channel. A MS store would be a store filled with Zunes and Windows boxes. WTF is the point?

When I go to Best Buy now I see 30+ PC laptops with people in front of them and off to the side I see a tiny little titsy witsy table with a couple macs on it and NO ONE standing in front of them.

Apple = Fail

ISOHaven

@TheWerewolf - Causing headlines!:
possible but M$ has the ability to partner (hopefully with the right partners) with hardware people in this store. I would love to see some AlienWare designs in the showroom for example.

justsomereportingguy

@TheWerewolf - Causing headlines!: Don't forget Microsoft makes gaming peripherals, webcams, mice, and keyboards. http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/hardware/category/4

OfficerMike

@Soldier_CLE:



I would begin by saying that I apologize for being a bit smarmy, because I am probably redirecting frustration from work.


However, your example of filming in the field is an exception and hardly common to the industry as a whole. No, you don't need a Dual-Quad-Core Mac Pro with 16 GB or RAM to edit video.


But even you have admit that carrying around and swapping a bunch of 1TB eSATA hard drives is significantly less efficient than using a single RAID array, especially when moving around large blocks of data like video. A desktop of any sort is more suited to working with large amounts of data, and is what almost any pro would use if given a choice.


The time savings of a high-end desktop over even the highest-end laptop is incredibly significant when you're billing (or paying) by the hour.

@uchendunwachukwu: This would work if MS products weren't so horribly bad.

orthorim

@MarkC: The MS store in the Metreon is the reason I think this will fail as well.



It was such a sad place - I really wanted to like it, and they had some cool stuff, but unfortunately for Microsoft none of the cool stuff was made my the company, and none of the stuff made by the company was cool. The store was always empty and eventually closed. I was quite possibly the only repeat customer (and didn't buy anything Microsoft - they had Boblbee backpacks there...).

orthorim

@OrbitalGun: Interesting.... I can see Apple doing that - however, I think they will take a wait and see approach. Because I think the MS stores will implode quite spectacularly all by themselves.

orthorim

@Jim Topoleski: Good point to remember, easily forgotten now that Apple stores are such a big success. The only reason Apple started to create a retail presence was that Apple retailers before TOTALLY SUCKED.

There were the official dealers who'd look down upon whoever dared enter the store, nevermind expect service. There were big retailers with tiny Mac sections staffed by people who knew nothing about Macs (and who would therefore recommend PCs). It was a wasteland. And that was in the USA, it was worse elsewhere.

Then along came Apple stores and fixed all that.

orthorim

@Identity: Now 100% more Pre.: You deserve a medal!

@Identity: Now 100% more Pre.: Thats a dollar more than i am looking to spend

jercb123

@superberg: Where did I say I were a "Professional Filmmaker"?



As I looked back on this thread, I noted that I did "Professional Video Work". I later emphasized in what that entailed. Everything I mentioned on this thread explained it clearly.



What should already be understood should not need to be explained.



By no means did I compare myself to Francis Ford Coppola, nor did I attempt to make such a comparison. Frankly, you are "affirming the ascendant" here.



Before you suggest that others re-read the thread, I would suggest that you do the same.



Maybe then your end of the discussion would bear more substance, and a lot less logical fallacious argument.

@Soldier_CLE:The Tablet PC is a straw man argument because I was complaining about the ads, not the platform itself. There is no "Tablet PC" ad, therefore it has nothing to do with the discussion. It is not pertinent to a discussion of "'Laptop Hunters' ads are misleading," which was the point of my post. I did not say "PC's suck. They're useless, and Mac are better in every way." There are plenty of people who do great work on PC.


I can be haughty and self-important, too.


REALITY CHECK: Stumbling into Vegas and putting some video clips in order, then hitting "export" does not make you Francis Ford Coppola. I can believe you've worked on several internal videos. I've made low-budget commercials for the company I work for, but I wouldn't call myself a filmmaker.


The title filmmaker implies that one makes films for a living. You do not make films for a living, therefore you are not a filmmaker.


I took Sports Medicine back in high school, but I don't go around telling people I'm a doctor. My best friend plays with Fruity Loops for hours, and has even made a few CD's, but he doesn't call himself a musician.


Your videos may have been very nice. That does not make you a professional filmmaker.

@TruPhan:



For fuck's sake. Go ahead and reread what I said. Where did I say "No one uses PC's for video editing?"




NOWHERE!


A computer is only as good as the user, no matter what the OS. It is a tool.


To that end, a professional will use quality tools whenever possible. A photo pro will use Photoshop (or, I suppose, gimp), not MS Paint. An engineer will use whatever CAD software is possible, not Lincoln logs(unless, I suppose, that is the tool suited for the job).


What I said was, "video pros do not use cheap laptops." There are plenty of video pros who use windows, but I doubt they walk into a Best Buy and say, "I have $2,000 and want a 17" screen with lots of RAM."

@superberg: Fallacious logic won't get you far with me.



If you really must know, I do work with DoD on projects. I do have a background in medicine since 1999. I am AMEDD Trained in Ft. Sam Houston -- Took clinicals in BAMC, or if you prefer, SAMMC North.



It isn't a difficult idea to grasp that DoD (or any of it's subordinate branches and bureaus) films presentations for use within it's organization.



It is also not difficult to realize that there are also people in different educational disciplines that can work with one another in any given organization.



It is also not difficult to realize that you assert that I make a strawman argument, yet attempts a use of "appeal to mockery" with "appeal to authority", albeit poorly.



Back to topic:



LAW SCHOOLS: When you make an assertion, you would be wise to substantiate those claims. You state that law schools won't allow students to use bootcamp, and yet you fail to back your claim. At the same time, I know for a fact that law students use Apple product laptops in law school, and even my assistant uses boot camp when she uses hers to do briefs. I just asked her again this morning about this.



Even a layman knows that forums are mere heresay. They are not policy. The next time you make a claim, try going with something more concrete. Any university's administration would be happy to forward you any policy regarding the policies and procedures of their IT department.



LAPTOPS with DVs and DATs: You fail to take into account that External HDDs with Firewire and eSATA ability can still carry additional storage that is needed for sound on a person's DATs and DV cameras.



It is a "field expedient way" to handle the situation. It is also not hard to carry a pack of 1TB 3.5s in an eSATA or Firewire enclosure.



Afterall, a projects shot don't need to be the next Transformers or GI Joe flick. But it has to emphasize on the topics that I work with on hand.



TABLET PC: I have news for you... It's STILL a PC. It needn't even have to be in a "Laptop Hunters" ad to qualify to be a PC. They are still used by those who benefit from them.



As such, it is still pertinent to this discussion.

when people get the mpb they can go next door and buy office mac or vista/7 for boot camp

briansaysdie

@superberg: I think today is the day you argue semantics instead of refuting valid arguments. At the end of the day, your general point was that Macs are better than PCs when it comes to things such as video editing. People said otherwise. You called them liars and incompetent. I've read this thread a thousand times. Wake me if you have a reasoned response.

@m3tric: I know the internet is for fanboys and snarky comments but you seem to be taking it a bit far. Take a step back and realise there is a world outside of being a tech hater.

quayzar

Well I'll open a Linux Store! Everything's a dollar!

@m3tric: I'll have you know women love the Apple Dildo.



I'm all for Microsoft having their own retail space but why must it be next to Apple Stores? If this was by accident then there is nothing to criticise. Why is MS actively setting up next to Apple on purpose? Seriously though, this is like Walmart actively setting up every Walmart next to a Target without exception. Kind of a douchey thing to do if you ask me.



Kevin is starting to be a prick for the heck of it. Again copying Apple ;)

quayzar

haha I like all the apple fanboys complaining about this. Threatened by everything PC? yeah thought so.

Apple Fanboys are Frightened !!! BTW sounds like a good strategy A company like MSFT should have come up with this much earlier it pays to connect with the consumer on a one to one basis.

meher

*In the Apple Store*



"How can I run my Windows apps and games now?"



"Just install Windows through BootCamp or Parallels, you can go right next door to pick up a copy of Windows. Tell them the Apple Store sent you."

It could fail , but maybe not. Think about how many moops already buy Microsoft crap. This will surely increase the number of moops who purchase Microsoft branded junk.

@superberg: You want to start arguing semantics? Fine dude. You win. Let's launch the fireworks.

But if you want to stay in touch with reality, you're going to have to admit to yourself and everyone on this thread that you've been peddling that Macs are somehow inherently better for video editing and law students and when people had contention with that, you made it all about you and started spouting off about what the "pros" do, and how "they" agree with you.

And I bet every single one of the pros you know would! But don't freak out if there's a dissenting opinion out of the entire fucking collection of people who have an internet connection on the planet. Guess what? A dissenting opinion is bound to happen and you don't have to go all trial and jury and cite "them" or "professionals" or "this guy I know in the field" to try and prove you have the right opinion. Sometimes you can just say, "Good point" like an adult.

Grow up or go to 4chan.

Sounds like a potential disaster. I'm a Microsoft fan and Windows user, and I strongly disagree with all the garbage Apple spouts about Windows. I find it extremely stable and great to use. But Apple will, very easily, pick apart every single crash, freeze, error message, flaw, etc. displayed next door and use it against them. Doesn't matter if they happen less frequently than comparable problems at the Apple store, they will be used successfully to reflect poorly on Microsoft, while the Apple equivalents will be ignored. Microsoft had better have those machines in tip-top running condition, re-imaged every single night, with employees watching them for errors like a hawk, or this will turn bad fast.

Jeeze, isn't there a rule in advertising that the focal point of your advertising should not be the competition's product?

This and the recent Turner comments make me think of an annoying little brother playing the "I'm not touching you!" game. When the older sibling finally gets annoyed and snaps, the little brother sees it as a victory.

Brian Kellogg Anderson

@m3tric:

That's iDildo® Get it right!

brenkes

@m3tric: Actually, I work in post production, and I envy this guy being able to sell, let alone turn people on to such great hardware/software. :)

midiac

Are those two tools from the commercial going to be standing in front of the stores trying to explain why I need a Mac vs. a Windows based pc and vise versa?