Microsoft today unveiled it's "Retail Experience Center".The experience center is like a real Microsoft store but unfortunately it's fake. This store acts, feels and functions like a real store and was built at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, WA (USA). The Retail Experience Center is a private, 20,000-square-foot facility housing a fully functioning, interactive store environment, from point of service to receiving dock. The Retail Experience Center is also part of Microsoft's larger effort to establish a research facility to better understand and address how consumers are experiencing the Windows brand at retail as they select and purchase PCs. Acting as a test facility, it will give the retail industry an opportunity to provide feedback that can directly influence future Microsoft products and how it sells to consumers.
"Customers have told us they want Microsoft to play a more active role in their technology experiences, by helping direct them to the specific products, services and technologies that will most benefit their unique needs," said Brad Brooks, corporate vice president for Windows Consumer Product Marketing at Microsoft.
Analysts have often called on Microsoft to open a store to compete with Apple's retail outlets in the US and Europe. Perhaps this is Microsoft's way of dipping its feet into the idea of opening up retail stores?
Good idea by MS, IMO.
And it is a great idea.
LOL
so true
If only they were to really launch a Microsoft store like this... people could get excited about using Windows again, like I am about Windows 7 (most of you may know I'm an Apple fanboy
I'd dobut it. When Windows Vista is almost on every corner where a mall or tech store is at... they don't have to worry about dealing with an Apple store every couple hundred miles.
From the video though it looks mightily cluttered though, but that's typical for anything Microsoft I guess.
and software.
So do Microsoft.
lol, yeah, stack all those mice, keyboards, joysticks up along with the copies of Windows and Office.
He does have a point-- Recently a friend brought me a Pc that from Dell which booted in just a little over 2min. Yes you heard me right- and this was not no cheap system. So we reinstalled Vista applied the service Pack and Loaded up Drivers-- Now boots in under 40 seconds. (This is a major improvement).
Though With the Economy in such a downfall as it is now- Could be possible if they could wrangle in some other names to exist in the store to showcase their products as well. (Alienware as an example.) Not to mention if Microsoft would have Kiosks in the store for rating Opinions on the product line could draw more from the Usability statistics then anything else. Though I can see how Apple would have gripes about opening a store such as this- I am not a Microsoft Fan Boy or an Apple Fanboy--- I walked into an apple store and the people working there took about 20min before they even realized I was in the store (they were too engrossed in their own conversation to even bother to help me). About the time the employee came to help me I had already picked out the item I wanted and was headed to the register. Sad news though I returned the item 3 days later because I found it cheaper at Walmart. (and they didn't want to pricematch).
in all honesty the only feautres that are good about win7 is the new explorer and gadgets, as well as the reduced uac.
cons:
ugly taskbar, thumbnail previews that really have no use ,
Who is shown up time and time again by a smaller, more visionary competitor.
Judging by what's come out of Redmond over the past couple of years, I'd say Bryce is just as valid an authority on the subject as anyone else.
Judging by the topic of this discussion I'd say Bryce hasn't read it. Let's stay ON the topic, shall we?
But that's not to say electronic stores can't continue selling other PC brands. Competition is good after all. What I stated above would make sense if this were a Microsoft store after all.
They should also offer services similar to what Apple does at their store (i.e. A Genius Bar, One to One training, Workshops, etc)
What's surprising is that customers don't find this a turn-off, and seek out other brands for their next PC after finding their new machines middling in performance (I'd bet that a well-optimized Athlon XP or mid-range P4 could actually put together a snappier first-boot experience than a bloatware-laden Core 2 or Phenom).
Sadly, from a legal perspective, MS can't even lean on OEMs to lay off on it, lest someone scream "monopoly".
What I'd love to see is simple: If you're giving us the recovery disc/partition, give it to us with a menu to de-select each feature you've installed-- right down to a bare Windows install if you so desire.
A Microsoft Store would give Microsoft an opportunity to showcase it's software on systems that are equipped to handle it. Of course, other manufacturers make great systems but a lot don't and who ends up looking bad? The guys who made the OS, not the guys who put ultra low-end crap together and called it a computer.
:LOL:
:LOL:
I see what you did thar!
Right now I'm leaning towards a lame BSOD joke with no punchline other than the BSOD.
Right now I'm leaning towards a lame BSOD joke with no punchline other than the BSOD.
I think the latter.
So, let me get this right, they have created a store with fake items in it, in a 20,000ft square building at their headquarters. Why not just spend that little bit extra and make it real? The shop is there, the products are not.
More and more Apple products are showing up in these MS promos. What gives?
if you don't mind, I'll ask about this in a thread.
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