The Apple Microsoft Store
October 23rd, 2009
Microsoft had a big opening of their first retail store, this one in Phoenix, Arizona. It’s kinda hard to miss the fact that, like so much of what Microsoft does, it’s a complete and shameless rip-off of Apple’s original idea.
Gizmodo has a report and many more photos from the store. Among my favorite comments:
…it’s not the Microsoft can’t open a store, of course they can, it’s just that it looks EXACTLY like an Apple store. Once again, if Apple gets it so wrong, as MS claims, why do they keep imitating them?
I am so totally taking my Apple with BootCamp running XP in there…
Update: Ironically, Apple opened their 275th store (In Cardiff, UK) on the same day–and the lines looked longer than Microsoft’s.
I wish MS would stop trying to be something they are not. They should just screw the happy touchy feely mod cool stuff and go with their true nature. Heartless business software and the OS to run it.
I mean if their add campaigns focused on we have the best business software, we can get your job done, we can make your business succeed–and then tack on at the end–oh we also play music, do photos, and are the best for gaming.. their message balance would be better.
Not that I will buy their products (my new 27inch Imac should arrive today! Yeah!!)
But at least they wouldn’t look like 60year old guys trying to be cool–(I think of that Republican leader Mike Steele (?) –He is the perfect metaphor of this)
Agh! I hate you! 😀
–Luis (stuck here with his lousy old 24-inch iMac)
@Luis
Oh if only I could afford Apple products …
(don’t you dare do the, “Well, if you spread it out over the life…” argument! It doesn’t change I don’t have the money up front!)
Well Luis I am now enjoying your web site in giant 27inch glory. Amazing piece of hardware. Wireless keyboard in nice–bit small but will easily get used to it. Mouse—hmmmmm nice I guess but it has a glass surface so if your hands are a bit sticky or sweaty it tends to stick rather than swipe.
Bought an airport extreme as well to set up my home network between my two macs and laptop but damned if i can get it to work. Easily connect to web via PPPoe on both macs but once plug in the internet to the base my computer finds the airport base but does not connect to the web. Any tips? I will be calling apple on monday for help with this. Just a minor delay. This 27inch is beautiful.
thanks!
Oooohh, PPPoe, I hate that. Who still uses that? They should just give you a router which assigns addresses using DHCP, which is pretty much plug-and-play. PPPoe is so DSL! 😛 Before calling Apple (which might be easier in the end, though) you can look up the problem in Apple Discussions, or else call your ISP support (especially if they have English support, like KDDI DION has). Here is an example discussion on Apple’s site which might help:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10033262�
There is a review on Mac Daily News, predictably negative (MDN is rabidly pro-Mac/anti-Windows), but they do go into detail. They also point out that 3 hours after opening, the store was not crowded at all and no one seemed to be buying anything. Many have pointed out that while Apple stuff costs the same everywhere, the prices at the MS store are higher than what the same stuff can be purchased for elsewhere. Not a good sign for the success of these stores.
Thanks for the link! Worked like a charm. Now I have a fully wifi home system set up. Wonderful!
best to you and thanks again!