First pic of Microsoft retail store's construction -- both Abercrombie & Fitch visibly nervous
By Laura June 
posted August 7th 2009 5:44PM
posted August 7th 2009 5:44PM
Here you have it, folks. We knew this was coming, but the first photographic evidence of a Microsoft retail store under construction has just come to us -- via the company's Twitter account -- and we have to say, it brought a few tears of joy to our eyes. The first two stores are set to be opened in Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California this fall. Wonder if the inside will look anything like those plans we saw?
Microsoft has a ton of really creative and excellent looking logos for their products: Office logo, Silverlight, xbox, the orb. Why did they insist on making a logo i could have made in 20 seconds with Paint?
Good Question. Maybe they just whipped something up to make peoples mouths water to see what the real logo is going to look like. ?
Because a giant apple logo is much more complicated ?
@pd
No need to get so defensive so fast. Just remember if a flamewar erupts, you started it.
(I'm no Apple fanboy by the way)
I like it.
It's easily recognizable and simple.
Not all logos need to look as if they'd been created on a Pixar render farm.
A key to a good logo is usually its simplicity and brand recognition. Also a good logo should scale well so that it can be printed very small (on business cards or misc. labels) or large and still be easily recognizable. It looks as though even if this logo is printed at 5mm x 5mm it would still be easily recognizable and distinguished. It’s easy for the armchair quarterbacks that know nothing about logo design to criticize when they can’t even provide a better alternative.
In fact, complicated logos are worse from a design standpoint. They are much harder to implement into documents and packaging. Microsoft's logos are very great, from a design standpoint.
Who wants a Microsoft store when their products are already forced into you when you buy anything pc related? I know they wanna compete agaisnt "The Apple Store" but mac machines are hard to find in stores, every store in the world has Microsoft products on display, may it be a simple mouse or and xbox360.
But hey, Microsoft is famous for wasting money until they manage to make a profit. At least they are creating tons of jobs.
Ah, wasting money until they make a profit... Someone should come up with a name for this silly action! How bout..."business"?
"Ah, wasting money until they make a profit... Someone should come up with a name for this silly action! How bout..."business"?"
Making a Profit: Windows, Office, Exchange
Wasting Money: Everything else they do, so they attach it the above three to get a leg up on the competition.
I think this will work out quite well for Microsoft. At Apple stores, it is basically a place for people to discover Apple products. When Windows 7 comes out, there will be a lot of people out there that will want to discover Windows again. I think this place will be a perfect outlet for that. That's because everyone is knowledgeable about Windows to some degree and can share what they've learned to other people.
@mike
Wasting Money: Developing the company image
@WindowsFTW
"I like it.
It's easily recognizable and simple."
Kinda the perspective that's gotten them in the position that they're in these days...
Maybe MS will at some point get a clue that pretending to be something is not the same as being something. How about stepping away from photocopier for a sec and putting something on the table that people actually want/desire. Perhaps something that's actually...*gasp*...innovative. Oh, right...silly me, that takes creativity and risk.
@Jagster: Are we talking about the logo furthest away from us? If we are, another aspect of logo design is to make logos that can be recognizable in colour or black and white. I would not know what that logo stands for if I saw it without colour. The other logos look great though.
@BK
"Kinda the perspective that's gotten them in the position that they're in these days..."
You mean utterly dominant in the OS and productivity software market?
As for 'innovation', you might actually look the word up and see what it means. Certainly us folk in business as well awar of the innovation MS bring as anyone who has used .NET willl tell you.
Maybe it's a temporary logo, because it's indeed not great.
+10 to Jagster
@Mark:
.NET? Innovate? ROFL.
Remind me how you get SMTP for it. I heard there was a fee? :)
MS innovated nothing in the programming field. They copied, changed the syntax a bit, and rebranded other highly successful programming languages. Their names are also very similar, especially 'JScript'. I'm sure there is a Java Script.
Oh. And what about C#? C on steroids? MS turned C object orientated to try and compete with C++.
They shall never be as popular as the original counterparts. Making everything "Visual" doesn't help either.
Except .NET. Because .NET is basically a template library of solutions to common problems, oh. Did I mention it's Windows only.
It will be fun watching the mighty MS fall.
Bill Gates had impeccable timing taking MS as far as he could and creating the dominant player in technology, but as a consummate poker player/ businessman, he could see the writing on the wall and knew when to get out.
"Except .NET. Because .NET is basically a template library of solutions to common problems, oh. Did I mention it's Windows only."
you are jackass who never used .NET - did you know that the most popular games on iPhone use .NET via mono and unity?
@Jimbo
Of course he doesn't. He's an idiot.
@Fake
Do you realise how hard you failed in that post?
The tragic thing is you probably don't.
I almost want to make couple t-shirts out of @fake comments ...
"MS turned C object orientated to try and compete with C++." is good one
The notion that C++ is object-oriented makes me laugh particularly hard.
that title made me lol, laura
i dont get it.
To what does "Coming soon..." refer to?
ummm, the store, dude.
I see now! The store is within a mall, I didn't quite catch that at first. Thanks
...wow
It refers to their next product.. Mac eating destructo-bots, of course.
What a wasted opportunity!
It should have said "Loading..."
@10minutehobo : I wonder if the progress bar would sit on 99% for 70% of the construction.. much like installing windows or windows apps
Not Loading.... this is MS..
Should have said: "Please Wait..."
Ballmer's last stand?
Obviously today it would have said '3 months remaining', then tomorrow '38 seconds remaining', then the next day '2 years remaining'...
@Ordeith
I think just the hour glass would suffice.
So long as MicroStore doesn't play thumping music and reek of tween-brand cologne *cough* A&F, I'm all for it.
Or have the lights set to barley on.
Yeah, I hate it when the lights have barley on them too. Smells like Grape-Nuts.
@Look_Around_You, I hate Hollisters clothes they are so cheap, and their stores have no actual lights.
California?
Not the best choice for a retail location. I would'nt want to put my store in a place that is about to economically collapse.
Still a lot of money in Orange County. Unfortunately, I'm the exception!
The state's out of money not it's more affluent inhabitants. Plus Mission Viejo isn't a cheap city to live in.
Yeah, clearly Look_around has never been to Mission Viejo...
Or, you know, physically collapse....into the ocean.
Yes the American economy has really had problems with running out of money, it's called credit The US has been running on it for the last 20 years.
How the hell am I going to walk into a microsoft store and buy Bing? >_>
Bing: The home game?
Maybe they want you to go into the store and use Bing to find the same product you were going to buy at the more expensive mall store, for 40% off and bing cashback?