Anyone who witnessed the
opening of Microsoft's first retail store in Scottsdale must have been feeling a bit of deja vu at the whole experience. It started with the camping and the long meandering lines leading to a raucous countdown. When the doors finally opened, customers were greeted with sturdy high-fives from overly-enthusiastic employees dressed in their casual, every-man uniforms. Inside were products placed on tables within easy reach of a curious public as well as an "Answer Bar" where presumed geniuses will tenderly solve customer issues. Failing that, you can always sign-up for the in-store events and training sessions scheduled throughout the day. Sound familiar... maybe a bit
too familiar? But the icing on this plagiaristic cake is Lisa Seigneur, a former Apple retail store manager who famously (in our circles, anyway)
introduced Oprah to Bono's Product RED iPod nano in Chicago -- the very same
Microsoft Store employee who handed out free Zune HDs to those early campers in Scottsdale. Video evidence after the break.
posted October 26th 2009 9:50AM
my f*god...the hypocrisy ...!!!!!!!!!!
Apple and Microsoft are not that far apart in terms of revenue anymore. The latest quarterly data has Apple reporting $9.8B with Microsoft at $12.9B. That's gross revenue, profits are a different matter. Still, as someone who's been following the "religious war" between the companies since the beginning, I'm amazed that Apple pulled out of their downward spiral and is soaring so high.
wait, what is a zune?
If you can't beat 'em, buy them out. Or at least offer enough money to their top employees to jump ship and come work for you.
BUY HIM OUT BOYS!
Wow, so someone who worked at one retail store left to go help start up another?
It's almost like someone who worked at one tech blog left to go start up another.
"...a bit of deja vu at the whole experience."
"Sound familiar... maybe a bit too familiar?"
"But the icing on this plagiaristic cake is..." -- DELICIOUS!!!
Actually, she's not the only one they recruited from Apple Stores. My friend had been working for the Apple Store in Houston, when Microsoft contacted and recruited him to work in their Scottsdale store. He went from making $12/hour at the Apple Store to 66k salary for Microsoft.
I think most of you missed the point.
I wonder what the prize will be for the next Microsoft store that opens??? could it be an xbox 360 or windows 7???
You call this tech news?
Zzz... Who couldn't tell this from the first 10 seconds from the video of the store opening...
You people think about all this VS. crap way way way way too much.
haha
Heres the thing, you guys that are in Microsofts defense don't seem to understand that people aren't bad-mouthing Microsoft for making a retail store, they're flaming Microsoft for so blatantly and pathetically ripping off every single aspect possible about Apple stores. From the look and feel, to the whole vibe, to the layout, to the presentation, to the activities....every single aspect of the Apple stores has been shamelessly copied.
No one would blame Microsoft for making their own line of retail stores, even though its not entirely necessary the way Apples stores were when they first created them. Its the fact that they only created these stores to rip off Apple and attempt to be exactly like Apples brand, not to increase the distribution of their products.
Its just that for the past 25 years Microsoft has made it overly apparent that they desperately wish they were Apple. They have an obsession with Apples brand, image, and products. A much larger obsession than any Apple fanboy has.
Apple can take their ghetto paycheck and shove it, she's movin' on up! Good for her!
i would mind a free zune >_<
No, Apple didn't invent the concept of a shop.
It's not really big news when two companies in the same industry sector do similar things. Especially if that similar thing is opening a store or selling things in a branded shop.
The response from Apple fanboys and the anti-MS community is as typical as it is comical.
Intelligent people will welcome more the extra competition in this retail sector, which is dominated by a handful of major retailers.
I welcome the opportunity to purchase these excellent products direct from MS.