How much more can anyone say about this?
They ARE innovators!
>
Previously:
Microsoft the Innovator (part II) (November 2005)
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2005/11/microsoft-the-innovator-part-ii/
Category: Retail, Technology, Venture Capital
Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor implied. If you could repeat previously discredited memes or steer the conversation into irrelevant, off topic discussions, it would be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.
Um, why?
next thing you know- we will have Google stores and AMD stores and Intel stores- possibly Adobe and Nvidia stores-
awesome idea- i can’t wait
Why not?
I am thinking about starting an Everything Inicies Store – How cool would that be.
And Ahab, if you came and purchased something, I would make sure you got your 2-4% senior citizen discount.
Will they at least carry Apple products, if not the aisle ways will look like bowling lanes.
I heard they got a good deal on the Circuit City store locations. Somebody also told be this happens when you have more cash than brains.
again? i thought they closed those
It’s the kind of foolish thing you can try if you own 90% of a market despite inaccurate publicity from competitors..
You know I’ve always had a problem with the name Micro Soft… Must be the girl in me! Good Luck with the store front…
notsofast-
hahahahaha- now that was funny
What has Microsoft innovated, besides developing new ways to skirt the laws regarding the leveraging of an illegally-obtained monopoly? How have consumers benefited from the inelastic and monopoly-maintained high prices for Windows?
Seriously, what innovations has Microsoft done?
They should hire John Hodgman to be their pitchman! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hodgman
Eventually, they’ll explain to us that owning all the stores is OK, since stores are a natural monopoly.
And even if they’re Sherman-Acted, not to worry… Charles A. James will come out of nowhere and zero-out the fine…
http://www.chevron.com/about/leadership/corporateofficers/james/
…if anybody knows him, make fun of him for me, to his face, would ya?
Will be another failure..whatever happen to that new MS Search engine?
@Bob
I said the exact same thing a few months ago when comparing MS with Apple and Google. MSFT is a “wannabe” follower, not a leader.
Hah, anyone remember The Zune? Do they still make those things?
10 Ways Microsoft’s Retail Stores Will Differ From Apple Stores
http://www.pcworld.com/article/159521/10_ways_microsofts_retail_stores_will_differ_from_apple_stores.html
Somehow, Walmart will find a way to undercut them.
Cool, I can stand in front of it and hand out free Ubuntu live CD’s out of a backpack…..
gloppie: Why not do the same in front of an Apple store? After all, Apple is just selling a Unix variant at a high price. But that would be sacrilege! However, the innovative Apple did give iPhone users Cut and Paste ony 5 years after Windows Mobile users had it :)
Was the Sidekick Data loss caused by sabotage?
A more interesting story about MS may be what really happened with the loss of Sidekick data. When I first heard about it, I thought sabotage.
About 18 months ago, MS bought Danger, the creator of the sidekick and the repository of the data. At the time it was seen as a way to quickly acquire some more cell phone expertise. The employees were working on the mythical “Project Pink” that was supposed to produce some new MS-branded phones. Trouble is that the Sidekick is a relatively primitive device and, as Ballmer took over and pushed for an overhaul of Windows Mobile, Project Pink got pushed aside. Many employees left. Others were laid off earlier this year. There have been reports over th past couple of weeks about trouble at Danger.
The original explanation about the data loss was that some “forgot” to make a backup. Yeah, right. It looks like others are starting to make the connection. A lot of sites are quoting Appleinsider’s story on the subject. Like Appleinsider would know, although maybe a disgruntled employee squealed. I supposed the discovery during the class action suit will get to the bottom of it.
This could prove to be a Apple Store killer. First the Zune, then Vista, now Win 7 and brand new retail outlets….When in God’s name will they take their foot off of Apples neck?
Microsoft is capable of some crazy good technology. Have you seen the Microsoft Surface?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egl5S4jzyMU
I’m waiting (patiently) for the Cisco store, so I can walk in and purchase a high capacity router with a $50 rebate coupon.
Why is this any weirder than an Apple store? Apple will be Crox in two or three years. I’m milking it for a senseless run up in stock price which I’ve held since low 100′s. The ENTIRE wold revolves around MSFT products. It seems a gimmicky product like Apple would be (and will be) more laughable. I’ll hold Apple into day before earnings and dump for a tremendous gain. I think with Android and the amount of intelligence that will go into that open platform will destroy iPhone’s smug superiority complex. I’m actually looking forward to it. I hate every Mac I own in our company but the stock has been killer.
And to end the evening: This is an easy game. How do you think Barry is on every talk show? Everyone, listen. Let go of your ego and emotion, it’s destroying your wealth building ability. Barry learnt this long ago, that’s why he’s driving a Ferrari and you’re not. Go with the game. It’s giving you easy money for months now. You can argue about the economy or GS bonuses, who the fuck cares? I think we’re in an economic mini boom and making lots of money. It’s really that easy.
I can’t wait for the first day that everybody freezes and turns blue. It’s going to be pretty difficult if we have to call the power company every few days to shut down the power to the store, wait for one minute, and then restore the power again. Maybe they need to install a circuit breaker outside so any amateur can do it and they don’t need a geek around
This is all so foolish. Just put a kiosk in all of the Starbucks. Then you can set up a POS terminal and take orders for AOL, 8 track tapes, Ubuntu, blue pills, green pills and hand out Circuit City 50% off coupons. Also, candy “APPLES” and “Google” over a latte.
deleted
http://www.rte.ie/business/2009/1016/dollar.html
US concern on China currency stance
Friday, 16 October 2009 07:08
“The US has toughened its warning to China for the ‘rigidity’ of its currency, the yuan, and a rapid build-up of foreign exchange reserves.”
…Hee, Hee, Hee. You bad eastern empire better stop manipulating your currency, or we’ll TELL!
and we mean it!………
Bruce,
In one of the video clips he’s one, Hugh Hendry showed a chart where the DJ or SP was inversely correlated with the Yuan/USD value. The market collapse last year occured when the Yuan was allowed to float.
The collapse of the dollar is killing the Euro manufacturers because the yuan is falling with dollar and they can no longer compete in the US against China.
All of this is clearly not sustainable. Just a matter of how much longer it will go on before collapsing. And how many more Ferrari’s BR will own by then.
I know Mike. Boy, how this government sponsorship of everything thingy shakes out this time will be very interesting….at the least it appears we are destined for a “dog eat dog” world for the at least near future.
Perhaps the slogan should be “Whatever it takes for me to succeed”…
By the way, since They own Our reserves, and not the other way around, I would say the Chinese probably feel scorn for the noises our government is making here…I imagine we are the Butt of many a Chinese government joke at this point…
What I don’t understand is what exactly is MS going to sell? Xbox? Zune? Software? And if their advertising on mainstream media is any indication of this new marketing effort these stores will be way off the mark: probably confusing, expensive and UNHIP. If MS lasts another 50 years we’ll see a GM style government bailout. But I think MS will be a marginal company long before because they are behind in every one of the fast moving tech fronts and slipping further all the time.
Remember things like the world designed by Apple? Imagine the world designed by Microsoft. Scary! Clutter and nothing works. MS has been building 3-wheeled cars for a long time.
Here’s Michael Pettis’ latest on China. More evidence of a bubble in the making:
http://mpettis.com/2009/10/china%e2%80%99s-september-data-suggest-that-the-long-term-overcapacity-problem-is-only-intensifying/
It’s a really neat idea. Wicked cool, even! I hear that Microsoft is working on a killer product. Most of you won’t believe this is even possible.
Get this! Microsoft has made a computer small enough to put on top of or just under a normal desk. That’s right. A fricking computer so small you can have one in your own house. And, no, this is not some secret CIA spy-computer which costs millions. These babies are actually affordable! Holy cow! What will that Gates guy think of next.
According to my sources, these “personal computers” are great but unfortunately Microsoft has been unable to come with any functionning software that is user-friendly and stable. (The geeks at MS have even labeled the operating system “Windows” as in “buy this and you want to throw your computer out of the windows”. Hee hee! Those geeks have a killer sense of humour).
I predict that is MS can combine these “personal computers” with some great operating systems this could revolutionize….well, everything. They should call Steve Jobs or that Linus dude from Norway.
p.s. I am so not ready to trade in my Altair unless this thing really, really rocks.
Harry….why don’t you just buy some puts on Apple as a hedge, just in case you’re wrong and it continues it’s senseless run up? You could track your progress on the Microsoft Surface.
Sidekick’s lesson: We learn by failing
CNET News – Rafe Needleman – Oct 12, 2009
But Microsoft’s clear bungling of basic information management practices (apparently, there were backups–but they didn’t work) does cast a pall over not …
Microsoft kills the Sidekick. The first smart phone is dead Computerworld
all 1,311 news articles »
this is too bad, the Sidekick had a lot going for it..
http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=microsoft+history+of+innovation
I launch word this AM, and the MSFT updater launches — the choice it gives is to install the update, or install the update. Period.
No option. Cant quit the updater. The sole option is install cause we said so.
(Up yours) I end up forcing the quit.
Sorry, but Microsoft still blows.
BR,
MS mistakenly assumes that people let their computers in sleep mode with a setting to wake up and install updates overnight. I was up late, so mine got installed last night, but I knew they were comng. They do need to fix that problem.
Period. No option. Cant quit the updater. the option is install cause we said so.
I know that deal. Mine used to try to install if I laid my wireless keyboard on the edge of the laptop.
So does that mean that when we walk into a MSFT store a sales guy pops up and won’t let us leave until we buy something?
Barry,
Forgot to mention an option that might solve your problem. There is an options to let Windows check for updates and inform you, but not install them until you say so. MS doesn’t like this one because people will naturally tend ot put off updates indefinitely.
speaking of Altair..
http://oldcomputers.net/altair.html
BR, good point, if peep only understood what was in MSFT’s EULA, they’s run, screaming, into the night..
http://clusty.com/search?input-form=clusty-simple&v%3Asources=webplus&query=Microsoft%27s+EULA
If (and only if) MSFT executes these stores well, I think the results will be great. MSFT is everywhere and once set up properly (which right now takes too much expert knowledge), their stuff is fine. Think about all the places they have products: Game Consoles, DVRs, smart cell phones, PCs, PDAs, Office software, search, email, etc etc. If they get it right and show/display a slick retail space, it could be really good. Apple’s not perfect, ya’ know?
Super idea…right up there with Vista and Windows M.E..
Watch “The Pirates of Silicone Valley” and in 15 minutes it becomes blatantly apparent who is an artist and who tries to copy the master with crayons.
Whenever I see Microsoft trying to ride a trend I think back to this classic spoof .
“Microsoft re-designs the iPod Package”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtEsSdP6sR8
Sadly there is a lot of truth there.
The really sharp engineers in our company are switching to Linux, the above average ones are switching to Macs, and the drones are sticking with Windows.
@dwkunkel 3:00 pm — Well, that should level the productivity playing field!
(low blow, and somewhat untrue (YOU try configuring Linux properly) — just posted for the laugh).
Mike in Nola Says:
October 15th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
“gloppie: Why not do the same in front of an Apple store? After all, Apple is just selling a Unix variant at a high price.”
Because with Apple you also get some good hardware with your purchase.
You pretty much get the OS free, since the unit itself is so well build.
And no, I’m not a Mac owner, I’m not rich enough.
I am a PC, and I am not a Microsoftee.