Microsoft confirms leaked retail store plans are legit
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 28th 2009 1:41PM
posted July 28th 2009 1:41PM
Those leaked Microsoft retail store plans certainly seemed like the real deal when Gizmodo got a hold of them last week, and Microsoft itself has now finally come out and confirmed that they are indeed legit. It's also quick to point out, however, that they're still far from finalized, noting that, "as a part of our process in briefing creative agencies, we shared some early prototypes and concepts of our retail store plans." Otherwise, company spokesman Frank Shaw would only go so far as to reiterate that "no final decisions have been made," and that Microsoft is still on track to open its first retail stores sometime this Fall.
Update: Looks like the folks at Redmond have picked the first two retail locations for its stores, and according to CNET, those lucky locales are Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California -- yeah, not exactly the most exciting picks, but perhaps the local authorities were quicker to sign the leases. Unsurprisingly, the California store is in a mall where an Apple store also resides -- let's hope the two stores find themselves within earshot of one another.
Update: Looks like the folks at Redmond have picked the first two retail locations for its stores, and according to CNET, those lucky locales are Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California -- yeah, not exactly the most exciting picks, but perhaps the local authorities were quicker to sign the leases. Unsurprisingly, the California store is in a mall where an Apple store also resides -- let's hope the two stores find themselves within earshot of one another.
Surface + Starcraft...please!!
Holy crap. How come I never imagined these two together?!
That would be truly amazing.
Surface + Starcraft II...please!!
Fixed.
Holy crap, did you guys just mention Gizmodo by name?
oooooooooooo
Nah they are still in italic.. but a start :P
Reply-fail. That was @ roach.
Actually, Peter Rojas founded/co-founded both of them.
madmax808: It kinda worked as a reply to this post as well, so only a partial fail.
Maybe like a "C- must try harder next time".
I think the only reason Gizmodo was cited was the little watermark they put on the picture.
jizzmodo, HEHE
I wonder how many of these I will see.
The Xbox 360 a financial blackhole?
I am sorry, but that is totally wrong.
windows will sell more than likely sell hundreds of millions of copies, xbox as a whole is still in the negative but they are making money every quarter now so its a matter of time until they turn the xbox as a whole into positive $. And a camera will do nothing to combat a zunehd unless it has oled and tegra. And those might not matter now but they will down the road (think iphone 3gs compared to 3g)... packing in a awesome screen and powerful graphics processor now will pave the way for their future technology.
I see the windows store being a much more fancy and advanced best buy.... IE not many stripped down and cheap computers to sell to the walmart crowd. MS will make sure everything in that store will work well (similar to how apple runs their brand but ms wont make the hardware)
Im wondering if the store will take food stamps and welfare checks?
Do you guys realize *how much* Microsoft has lost on their Xbox crusade thus far? BILLIONS. By the time they make enough profit on the 360 to compensate for the billions lost over the years, it will be time for the Xbox 720 and the whole bloodletting starts again. Great business model!
@ aaron:
Do you *seriously* think that OLED is going to sway buyers? Seriously???
"Welcome to Best Buy."
"I need a music player."
"We have the iPod touch and the ZuneHD. The iPod has a camera and tens of thousands of apps and games available. The ZuneHD has...an OLED screen and a Tegra Processor."
"??? I'll take the iPod."
The pocket device war has already been won, people. And Microsoft weren't the winners this time. Deal with it.
quix.... when you have both sitting side by side and the oled is brighter, crisper and better in every possible way then HELL YES!!!!
Oh shit I forgot about how many people was going to reply to me just because I was first, and DAX don't make fun of people on welfare.
Yes Quix, bash a product that isn't even out...thats smart. Makes you seem completed informed and unbiased.
Paul, nowhere in this article does it mention Windows, the 360, Zune, etc. You have a fit everytime somebody brings up an issue not directly mentioned in the article, so why is it OK for you to do it? Oh, that is right, it is not hypocrisy when you do it.
when you get 40% more battery life ( with an OLED) as well as a much more vivid display, suddenly it becomes a selling point.
the processor isn't going to sell anyone though
agreed grammar.... the tegra really wont sell the product (but will be nice to have included) but the screen and ui will do alot to sway people if its really as good as everybody says. If the UI is as flashy as the preview videos I could see people even being swayed by that.
"I wondering what Microsoft could possibly showcase in their store that isn't a failure."
Well that certainly rules you out, Paul.
"I wondering what Microsoft could possibly showcase in their store that isn't a failure."
Well that certainly rules you out, Paul."
Dont forget, these guys run around from post to post screaming "apple hater" at everyone. So make sure you point them at this page the next time they launch into that.
paul.... yes i will be MUCH more likely to buy it (same as zunehd). and I can see it now when apple finally comes to the oled table you are all the other ifanboys will say its the greatest thing since sliced bread and how apple was the first to do them.
"Wait, the new MacBooks have great battery life too, and yet all you Apple Haters still bashed them, saying that all that matters in laptops is the price. Which one is it, guys?"
It's not and either/or question, its a matter of balance. Getting the most for your dollar.
"Paul, nowhere in this article does it mention Windows, the 360, Zune, etc. You have a fit everytime somebody brings up an issue not directly mentioned in the article, so why is it OK for you to do it? Oh, that is right, it is not hypocrisy when you do it."
Apple fanatics engage in consistency? you're kidding, right?
@Look_Around_You
""Paul, nowhere in this article does it mention Windows, the 360, Zune, etc. You have a fit everytime somebody brings up an issue not directly mentioned in the article, so why is it OK for you to do it? Oh, that is right, it is not hypocrisy when you do it."
Apple fanatics engage in consistency? you're kidding, right?"
And yet again the Apple hate squad spins things to their advantage. Paul only brings that up when one of your fellow Apple hate squad members mentions that another of your bretheren mentioned Apple in a non Apple story. Then when Paul responds to that, your buddies cry that Apple fanboys are mentioning Apple in a non Apple story.
Look_Around_You fails again
Un-checking E-mail me when someones replies to this comment next time for sure.
I think Microsoft is more concerned with creating visible brand than pure profits. They could lose billions ever quarter and not care because just having a great console in the market is showing that "hey microsoft has a great system, developers, software, and expandibility...they really care about consumers etc". See when you build a great brand sells will always come. But if all you are concerned with is about quarterly profits then you will be riding a long rollercoaster of ups and downs.
I am taking Engadget out of my favourites. It's just a bunch of bitching crying Apple and MS fanboys. Apple aren't even mentioned here and it still turns into a stupid argument. It's like geek bear-baiting.
Sorry about all the mail and dragging you into this, Absolute. But you should never be the first one to respond in a thread - some around here (attention whores) will hijack your post to use it to go off topic from your comment so their comment is put up there at the top.
@quix
You know the ZuneHD hasn't come out yet. You don't know how many apps there's gonna be. Plus, tegra is going to make the ZuneHD a lot smoother than many other devices, as the chip was made for high graphics in mobile appliances. OLED is also wasting less batteries, its more vibrant and the colour is absolutely brilliant (look at Sony's OLED tv.). Plus, ZuneHD has radio, music, video, (very likely) games, and possibly apps. It also has a browser, (might) have the ability to share songs, and all that kinda stuff. And plus, the radio, you can see what song's playing and download it.
...
Anyways, I guess I'll have to wait for MS stores to come to Canada. In the meantime, I'm stuck with Apple, EB Games, and Sony Style.
Why would people go to the Microsoft store?
Everything Microsoft sells can be bought in almost any store... Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Staples, OfficeMax, etc. Best Buy has a huge XBox section, a huge software section, and a huge supply of Windows computers.
In contrast, a trip to the Apple store lets you see every single product that Apple sells... talk to Apple employees... get warranty service (Genius Bar)... and see a plethora of Apple accessories and software. Apple stores made sense years ago, because no one sold Macs, except for CompUSA. Best Buy sells some Mac stuff now, but in far fewer quantities... so it still makes sense to have their own retail presence. They still get crazy traffic.
Everyone, PLEASE ignore Paul. He will eventually go away when he stops getting attention.
Look Around, NoHone I'm looking at you.
See, he posted about MS's SanFran store and no one responded, so he had to post again.
Just ignore him.
"NohOne - The official hater, stalker, and psychopath @ Jul 28th 2009 3:34PM
Paul, I would present you with the facts by example where you attack others claiming they bring up off topic information, just as you have done here, but to do that I would need to search, and then you would call me a stalker. But I can give you the facts that this article did not mention Windows, Zune, XBOX, surface, nor iPod, by listing every word of the article, and comparing it to those keywords (duplicates have been removed for brevity):"
Did you even look at the picture? It has "Windows 7" all over it. And what else could Microsoft show in their store except for Windows, Zune, XBOX or Surface?
Something smells fishy... er, Microsofty here. The Microsoft exec in charge of this project says "as a part of our process in briefing creative agencies, we shared some early prototypes and concepts of our retail store plans." and "no final decisions have been made,". But he also says that Microsoft is still on track to open its first retail stores sometime this Fall.
Fall is less than 2 months away, and the season is only 3 months long. It takes well over a year to find locations and sign leases, make final design decisions (since they haven't made these yet), do interior and exterior renovations (after having blueprints developed and going through the local municipal approval process and obtaining construction licenses), then furnishings need to be purchased and installed, systems need to be set up and tested, staff needs to be hired and trained, and then advertising and PR prior to store openings.
This cannot be done in 2-5 months. This is a huge amount of bovine excrement being shovelled by Microsoft. ;-)
Paul, here I am. I am willing to have a discussion, but you have said you do not want to have one with me. Once again, proving with facts you say one thing, but do the other.
@jon, the problem with that is if you do not reply, then he will jump up and down yelling that he is right because people will not have a discussion with him to refute his points, and therefore he is correct. I gave up trying to have discussions with him many times, but then he starts flinging his crap - usually at some body who made an innocent comment that tangentally touched on Apple, and he goes on the warpath with his attacks.
@patriks: Mice, keyboards, web cams, games (desktop and XBOX), gaming devices (desktop and XBOX), books, Office, development tools (C++/VB/C#), Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design, gift cards (Zune and XBOX), Streets and Trips, WinMo, Tablet, online properties (dozens of them), One Care, UMPC, then on the server side Exchange, Win Server, SQL, business software such as dynamics. And on, and on, and on, and... Those are just a few Microsoft products other than Windows. But what is the defense of him talking about the iPod?
@Paul Chapel >> "This makes me think that maybe Microsoft wants to open a store so people get better service. If that's the plan, it might actually work."
So you're assuming that the Microsoft store will sell computers. I'm sure that they will be HP and Sony machines. If they only sell one or two models... maybe they will provide support for them. But Microsoft is a software company! Is Microsoft gonna replace a burned out motherboard on an HP laptop? And why???
That's when the "support" argument loses steam. Sure they might fix certain computers that they sell in their store... but that's so far out of reach for a software company.
Microsoft makes what... $50 on a Windows license from HP ? Why is Microsoft gonna spend their time an effort to fix a laptop?
Paul, care to post that diatribe here on Engadget?
"the problem with that is if you do not reply, then he will jump up and down yelling that he is right..."
So, let him. Who cares?
No one, besides other iTards, listens to him.
He doesn't post anywhere he can't stir something up.
It will take a few days, maybe a week, for him to yell himself out.
If everyone ignores him, he has two options; go troll somewhere else, or keep spamming garbage until he gets banned.
I don't even know why I'm writing this, I think some people like the fact that he and his ilk are here.
@Paul Chapel
@Quix
Do you think the general public knows what 3G (as in iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS) is? No so they are likely to feel the same way about terga and OLED, that they are some wonderful technology that makes the device extra special. They're just buzz words like Dual Core, 1080p, and refresh rate. People don't give a fuck they just know it sounds special and interesting
@jon, you are right. If he responds to my challenge (which I doubt he has the fortitude to do so) to post that flickr rant here, then I am going to repond to that (not to him directly, but to others), but otherwise I will not repond to him any longer and I suggest others follow your lead.
paul you clearly don't understand economics.
Paul,
Shut up! Enough already! Just stop!
Thanks,
Just about everyone
Plus, engadget, Scottsdale is really high end. Makes sense to put a high end boutique there. Probably in the Biltmore fashion park which is across the street from the Ritz-Carlton.
The employees will be known as "smarties", and you can have your Zune repaired at the Smartie Pub.
I would prefer SmartAsses.
Nope.
If you look closer in that first pic, you can see it's actually the GURU BAR.
lmfao!!!!!!
On a side note, I do actually think this is the right move for M$
Wow. I missed that!
I agree that it's not a bad move--but I really hope they don't call it the Guru Bar. They'd have been better off with "Smartie Pub"!