Microsoft

[vcfan]

With his bag raised above his head, one Microsoft fanatic hollered with excitement having just purchased the tech giant?s new Surface tablet.

The middle-aged man?s gesture, before he rushed out of the Eaton Centre, garnered cheers from hundreds of people waiting in line to get their hands on the newest tablet on the market Friday morning. It was the type of giddiness more often associated with product launches from Microsoft archrival Apple.

http://www.thestar.c...re-pop-up-store

and some people were convinced nobody would want anything to do with windows 8,LOL.

[jakem1]

The crowd energy and excitement over the device was obvious when customers, with each new purchase, the crowd erupted in applause.

:s

[Boz]

I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that Microsoft paid those people to appear in lines.

[mmjm]

I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that Microsoft paid those people to appear in lines.

right, because in your little world people cannot possibly be excited about the Surface device

[pickytech]

I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that Microsoft paid those people to appear in lines.

Along with the rest of your ideas, this one is wrong too.

I was #48 in line for a Microsoft Surface at my local MS Store. I purchased it, and I love it. It blows my iPad away.

There were easily over 100 people by the time that the store opened.

[Growled Member]

I'm waiting to see what the early buyers encounter before I buy one. Surface is a good tablet but I want to see more apps before I jump in too.

[Sandor]

I expect better from fellow windows users. Control yourselves.

[trek]

Stole this from Twitter, but looks like a small queue of people at Metrotown, the largest mall in BC.

[Denis W. Veteran]

I checked out the popup store at around 4:30 on Friday and there were a good number of people around the stand. Not bad considering it was late afternoon by then. Traffic wise it could be comparable to the Apple Store on the third level.

Ref: http://pic.twitter.com/rsHF5rat

[User6060]

The demo kiosk was packed on saturday at the eaton centre. And people going up/down the escalator were buzzing talking about what was going on with the ms tablets

[theyarecomingforyou]

I'm a huge tech enthusiast but these people are simply crazy. Why would you want to stand in line waiting when you can simply preorder it online? And what sort of person shouts out in excitement in front of a bunch of strangers? These people are called fanatics for a reason.

[pickytech]

I'm a huge tech enthusiast but these people are simply crazy. Why would you want to stand in line waiting when you can simply preorder it online? And what sort of person shouts out in excitement in front of a bunch of strangers? These people are called fanatics for a reason.

Personally, I did it because I had never gone to a product launch event, and I wanted to make sure that I wanted the Touch Type cover rather than ordering it online. And, coincidentally, I had already taken off most of this past week. At my local MS store, the only people that yelled were the staff, and they did it like a sports team prior to their game--trying to get themselves hyped up to sell it and the accessories.

Anyway, the other major perk was that the first 100 Surface buyers at MS Stores got a free year of Xbox Music (the Zune Pass replacement), which is a $100 value. There was also an unnannounced, free raffle for those waiting in line for two Xboxes (two winners). Similarly unannounced, I got 3 GB of extra Skydrive storage free, one month of free US/Canada Skype coverage, and a quick demonstration on how to use it, which makes it much quicker to pick up on (it's one thing to read all of the tips, but it's another to be shown as there was nearly instant muscle memory generated).

[+pmrd Subscriber²]

I'm a huge tech enthusiast but these people are simply crazy. Why would you want to stand in line waiting when you can simply preorder it online? And what sort of person shouts out in excitement in front of a bunch of strangers? These people are called fanatics for a reason.

Standing in line for an hour or two > Waiting a week or two for delivery.

[linsook]

Standing in line for an hour or two > Waiting a week or two for delivery.

depends on how precious time is to you. i love having things in my hand when i want it, but i'm not going to line up 2 hours for it. waiting for delivery is way way better than waiting in line for 2 hours for the same item.

[jakem1]

I'm a huge tech enthusiast but these people are simply crazy. Why would you want to stand in line waiting when you can simply preorder it online? And what sort of person shouts out in excitement in front of a bunch of strangers? These people are called fanatics for a reason.

I know - the cheering is mental. I can't imagine getting excited because a stranger bought something. I don't know if it's a problem with fanatics or just a problem with consumer culture but it certainly seems to be more prevalent in the US.

Queuing for a new product is also pretty alien to me (I think the people who queue overnight each time the latest incremental upgrade of an iPhone is released probably need professional help) but it is worth pointing out that the online orders for Surfaces are currently backed up by about three weeks. If you really want to get your hands on one you don't have any choice but to queue.

[remixedcat]

EATON CENTER!!!

[FMH]

Not bad at all!

[.Neo]

The crowd energy and excitement over the device was obvious when customers, with each new purchase, the crowd erupted in applause.

That's saddening really.

[FMH]

That's saddening really.

Being happy is saddening? :huh:

[fehu]

it scared me :/

[jakem1]

Being happy is saddening? :huh:

In this case I think it is. Being moved to applaud because a stranger bought something just isn't normal. Sometimes people take consumerism far too far.

[ahhell]

In this case I think it is. Being moved to applaud because a stranger bought something just isn't normal. Sometimes people take consumerism far too far.

My guess is that they were making fun of Apple fanboys. i would have done the same.

[Calum Veteran]

I know - the cheering is mental. I can't imagine getting excited because a stranger bought something. I don't know if it's a problem with fanatics or just a problem with consumer culture but it certainly seems to be more prevalent in the US.

Queuing for a new product is also pretty alien to me (I think the people who queue overnight each time the latest incremental upgrade of an iPhone is released probably need professional help) but it is worth pointing out that the online orders for Surfaces are currently backed up by about three weeks. If you really want to get your hands on one you don't have any choice but to queue.

I've heard about some Apple Store employees in the US cheering when the first customer walks through the door :s Heh, I could understand them cheering when it's time to go home at the end of their shift, but not right at the start :p

[jakem1]

My guess is that they were making fun of Apple fanboys. i would have done the same.

Ah, that would be fine then. Shopping with a sense of irony is acceptable :laugh:

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

I'm a huge tech enthusiast but these people are simply crazy. Why would you want to stand in line waiting when you can simply preorder it online? And what sort of person shouts out in excitement in front of a bunch of strangers? These people are called fanatics for a reason.

Except they're not called fanatics and they're not crazy. They're just normal people who happened be excited enough for a product to line up for it. You make it seem like it's a rare occurrence for people to do such a thing when it happens quite often (for product launches). It's not like they're going to suffer from serious health issues from waiting in line.

As for the cheering, I think that was a little unnecessary. I'd only do it if someone won something.