Microsoft builds pretend retail store, wants to play house later

Microsoft's new Retail Experience Center is a new showcase of Microsoft's products and solutions for retailers -- including back-end stuff and point of sale. It's all pretty boring and corporate, but it could also be construed as a look at what a Microsoft take on an "Apple Store-style" experience might be. Result? It kinda looks like Circuit City plus a few Surface displays, Microsoft Tags and magical screen-equipped shopping carts (pictured above). Oh, and before you gather up your Zune pals for a road trip: the Experience Center is real, but the customers are fake -- the store isn't open to the public. Video is after the break.

[Via istartedsomething]

Gallery: Microsoft builds pretend retail store

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[Shinigami @ Jan 13th 2009 12:26PM]

Fifth picture. Guy's thoughts are on the wall.

[Alex Wilks @ Jan 13th 2009 12:34PM]

Awesome!

[Like_A_Glove @ Jan 13th 2009 12:40PM]

Priceless!

[Paul Chapel @ Jan 13th 2009 12:41PM]

Note to Microsoft. If you want Apple users to stop being smug and self satisfied with themselves, stop copying Apple. I mean, Jesus Christ, even the "I'm a PC" moniker was stolen from an Apple commercial. Makes me ashamed to be a PC user.

[Like_A_Glove @ Jan 13th 2009 12:45PM]

He's like a fatter and hornier version of Christian Bale, just look at his face.

[Chad @ Jan 13th 2009 12:56PM]

He's a PC and she's a MAC running boot camp with a pirated copy of XP.

[Like_A_Glove @ Jan 13th 2009 1:00PM]

@Paul Chapel

I know you want your voice heard, but that doesn't give you the right to cut into other people's conversation with a far off topic.
You want to whining & bitching about MS finally want to do it right, then go ahead, start your own comment.
And by the way, copying is a way of learning, that's how you have learned to spell all these words in your comment.

[Microsoft @ Jan 13th 2009 1:02PM]

Note to Paul Chapel. Quit your bitchin.

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Jan 13th 2009 1:29PM]

@ Chad

I think you just wrote yourself a romantic comedy staring Dane Cook & Megan Fox!

[wyatt @ Jan 13th 2009 2:24PM]

Paul, you obviously didn't read the post. your irrelevant comment has some validity, but your kneejerk fanboyism is just gonna cloud your point and get you voted down.

[nohone @ Jan 13th 2009 2:43PM]

Paul Chapel: "Makes me ashamed to be a PC user."

Bull F*%#!^$ S@!(. You are not a PC user. Just another lie in the growing list of lies.

[Decoy @ Jan 13th 2009 4:02PM]

There once was a guy who's All Apple
Liked to go on to engadget to battle
Said "I'm a windows user"
But we saw through the loser
Don't try that bullshit Paul Chappel.

[Chase @ Jan 13th 2009 4:08PM]

up here in redmond, we call that the official microsoft store. i guess this will be the same, except without the crazy discounts they give employees. (vista ultimate is only $45 for employees!)

[Hamidxa @ Jan 13th 2009 6:37PM]

Paul,

You ignorant and impetuous jackass you.

Let me just copy / paste GeekPI (I assume you are familiar with copy/paste technology, yes?)

"Wow, it's amazing how this goes over the commentators' heads. This is *not* designed to be a Microsoft Store for consumers. This is designed to demonstrate Microsoft's point of sale machines (aka cash registers), retail sales technologies (like surface for commercial sales kiosks, touch screens to demo products), retail advertising tech, etc. That's why it looks just like a Best Buy, because that's who they're selling these items to, *not end-users.* They're use their own products so they don't have to deal with licensing/favoritism with 3rd party brands.

This isn't an attempt at competing against Apple, it's an attempt at showing every retailer why they should use Microsoft's technologies to better streamline their retail stores, inventories, and sales floors."

[Tim @ Jan 14th 2009 7:35AM]

Nice one! Although I really like the picture of the outdoor world in picture 3.

[bandigolo @ Jan 13th 2009 12:27PM]

Does it come with the smokin' hottie in the blue shirt? I could "play house" with her all day long.

[fistpittingnork @ Jan 13th 2009 1:11PM]

Good. While you're doing laundry and mowing the lawn, mind if I bang your pretend wife?

[coffee @ Jan 13th 2009 1:26PM]

That's some curvy goodness there.

[kevincahoon @ Jan 13th 2009 11:19PM]

I need a bangmaid.

[Denver_80203 @ Jan 13th 2009 12:28PM]

I guess it also has a changing room. She has three different shirts on. Favorite it "geek girl"

Seriously though.. ever been to a Sony store, gateway store, etc? Not a great thing.

[Nate @ Jan 13th 2009 5:20PM]

Yeah....and why the grocery cart??

[TJ @ Jan 13th 2009 10:50PM]

@ nate

For real right, it made me laugh.

[Jubei @ Jan 13th 2009 12:28PM]

What a pathetic endeavor. They cannot even copy the Apple store properly. A cheesy plastic shopping cart to wheel around like Walmart? This only re-affirms that MS is the biggest "me too" company in the entire universe.

[Paul Chapel @ Jan 13th 2009 12:34PM]

This is stupid. Microsoft already has a store. It's called Best Buy.

[GeekPI @ Jan 13th 2009 2:14PM]

Wow, it's amazing how this goes over the commentators' heads. This is *not* designed to be a Microsoft Store for consumers. This is designed to demonstrate Microsoft's point of sale machines (aka cash registers), retail sales technologies (like surface for commercial sales kiosks, touch screens to demo products), retail advertising tech, etc. That's why it looks just like a Best Buy, because that's who they're selling these items to, *not end-users.* They're use their own products so they don't have to deal with licensing/favoritism with 3rd party brands.

This isn't an attempt at competing against Apple, it's an attempt at showing every retailer why they should use Microsoft's technologies to better streamline their retail stores, inventories, and sales floors.

[DrNuclearz @ Jan 13th 2009 2:42PM]

shopping cart is for the shit load of stuff that Microsoft makes unlike apple which is always coming out w/ another ipod or iphone etc..

[Hamidxa @ Jan 13th 2009 6:35PM]

Well said GeekPI

People like Paul Chapel and others should feel ashamed for their impetuous remarks as they continue to post their inane, idiotic, salivating at the mouth for Apple fanboy drivel.

[numerwan @ Jan 13th 2009 12:30PM]

Soooo, its a retail store for retail stores? innnteresting

[Stiv @ Jan 13th 2009 2:40PM]

No, it's not a retail store for retail stores. It's a demonstration of some available retail technologies.

[Ed T @ Jan 13th 2009 4:58PM]

Excuse me miss, could you tell me which aisle has the SPOT watches?

[Bobogoobo @ Jan 13th 2009 12:30PM]

looks like best buy.

[scootinger @ Jan 13th 2009 12:31PM]

Microsoft buyout of Circuit City, anyone...?

[Aaron Martin-Colby @ Jan 13th 2009 12:31PM]

Maybe I'm the only one, but a retail store might not be a bad idea for Microsoft. Some of their best products are hardware like their mice and keyboards. They could cherry pick which computers to carry. And the Xbox section could be great.

[The Angry Intern @ Jan 13th 2009 5:38PM]

I was kinda thinking the same thing, myself.

[PROXAK @ Jan 13th 2009 9:00PM]

Actually, Microsoft *did* have a retail store back in 1999. Surprisingly, it was at the Sony Metreon in San Francisco. They closed shop in 2001, the same year that Apple opened it's first store in Virginia.

[mynk @ Jan 18th 2009 11:55PM]

and microsoft has retial stores in india. not that i live in india, but i went there to visit family and at the mall (yes they have malls) i saw a store DEDICATED to just xbox 360. like the store name was xbox 360, it was completely green and what not. and it was official microsoft, and then there were some stores that were like everything xbox. this might be because of the lower number of other retaliers selling xbox 360s there, but i dont think that's the case.

[chris @ Jan 13th 2009 12:32PM]

Baby got back.

[CraigJ @ Jan 13th 2009 12:35PM]

indeed.

[Galley @ Jan 13th 2009 12:41PM]

I think it's more like "Baby got rack".

[JAmerican @ Jan 13th 2009 4:16PM]

I agree with Gallery. She needs more junk in the trunk.

[kal326 @ Jan 13th 2009 8:25PM]

I'm not picky, I'd still put my junk in that trunk.

[CraigJ @ Jan 13th 2009 12:33PM]

Microsoft needs to stop tying to Apple, Google, and others and focus on their core business of building software and come up with their own ideas. Microsoft's product history is basically copy what the market leader in a segment is doing, and try to dominate it. Sometimes it has worked for them, sometimes not.

The Apple store works for Apple because Apple makes the hardware and the software. How will the Microsoft store differ all that much from the Dell store or for that matter the computer section of Best Buy?

[CraigJ @ Jan 13th 2009 12:34PM]

tying to *copy*

[scootinger @ Jan 13th 2009 12:39PM]

I'd like to see the "Genius Bar" at such a store.

[Marc @ Jan 13th 2009 12:47PM]

Its been successful so far... why stop?

[CraigJ @ Jan 13th 2009 1:11PM]

It's not always successful.

It worked well through the 90s but hasn't been completely successful recently

The primary reason is that when MS did this in the past, their products were arguably better than the competition. Word and Excel were arguably better products in Windows, even though the character version of those products were superior. NT 3.51, and 4.0 was a lot easier to set up and maintain than Netware 3.12, and Netware 4 was a POS. It's questionable whether or not OS/2 was a better OS than Windows 95, but at the time Win 95 was pretty cool.

Lately, however, they have't been as successful with this strategy. The Zune is fine, but has not come close to dislodging the iPod after 3 years. the XBOX 360 is a great, but aging platform, and has not been financially successful (yet) and it seems apparent that MS has no replacement in the works. Regardless, MS's overall gaming business has not come close to beating Sony on a world wide basis.

Anyway, the Microsoft store simply seems like the computer section at Best Buy minus the Apple section, and the gaming section minus the Play Station and the Wii, and probably a few HD tvs with Media center. The Apple store sells a lot of things you can only get there, or on-line. When you can already get everything the Microsoft store will sell at Best Buy and other places, what is the business model that will make it successful in terms of retail? I don't think that Microsoft really understands what makes the Apple store successful.

[Paul Chapel @ Jan 13th 2009 1:26PM]

Windows succeeded because most businesses had already standardized on DOS, so when Windows came out they just converted to it. So Microsoft was able to push adoption because they already had a built in monopoly, like Apple with the iPod. Apple is going to push the iPhone and succeed because people already have large quantities of music on iTunes. iTunes succeeded because it gave people something beyond subscription, which was the only thing being offered at the time (back in 2001).

It was very hard for Microsoft to break into the DAP market once people had made their choice of iTunes as a place to get music.

So, in other words, the "Me Too" thing only works for Microsoft when they already have a market that they already control. For instance, it would be easier for them to create a cloud service for Office, that is, a cloud service that businesses actually use (sorry Google Docs), then to compete with Google's search monopoly or Apple's music download/player monopoly.

[Sisyphus @ Jan 13th 2009 1:32PM]

I actually think this would be a great idea if Microsoft could pull it off.

The problem with Best Buy and other big box electronics stores is that they don't care about Windows. The average salesman doesn't know (or need to know) about all of the bells and whistles of Microsoft products in order to sell hardware. People come in wanting to buy laptops or desktops, and they're guided mostly on hardware features and whether or not they like the physical model.

If Microsoft could provide staff that are highly trained on MS products and could actually show people what Vista and other products are capable of, I think it could help change perspectives on MS.

[Paul Chapel @ Jan 13th 2009 1:39PM]

@Sisyphus

I think your suggestion is kind of stupid. Why would Microsoft need to sell people on the benefits on their operating system? It's on most computers whether you like it or not. The only way I could see your suggestion being relevant is if Microsoft needed salespeople to upsell their Ultimatte versions of Vista. The myriad versions of Windows are confusing, and assuming Microsoft continues the trend with Windows 7, it would be nice if someone was actually knowledgeable about features in all versions.

[CraigJ @ Jan 13th 2009 1:40PM]

@Paul. I don't think that is strictly correct. Microsoft had no real network server entries when they introduced Windows NT. They beat Novell, because while Novell was arguably a better network OS, more scalable and robust, for smaller networks NT 3.51 was just fine, it worked just like Windows and was pretty easy to install and configure for the average person (relatively speaking), unlike Netware, and unfortunately the UNIX market was so fragmented that they couldn't get their shit together to fight Microsoft. I kept selling UNIX System V for as long as I could get customers to buy it because it was (and remains) far more stable and scalable than Windows servers. Eventually, however, customers started demanding Windows NT, and companies stopped supporting UNIX, and, well, here we are. The Linux movement is still too fragmented to offer any significant entries into the business server market. Sure, there are a number of companies using it, but still, probably over 90% have a windows 2000/2003 server infrastructure, and probably aren't going to move off of it anytime soon.