The Microsoft Stores are put on hold

Contempo reports take suggested that the omnipotent powerful Steve Ballmer has shelved plans to build a staggering 300 Microsoft stores to compete with Apple. While this is probably a practiced motility every bit they're still building on WP7'due south early days, the question should be put forward to them, do they need the stores? More importantly, do nosotros demand them?

Since announcing the new retail plan back in 2009, Microsoft has opened only eight stores, and recently announced plans for a further ii to be located in Atlanta and Seattle. Not such a keen push button some were expecting/hoping. Where's our London store, Mr. Ballmer?

But allow's forget statistics for a minute, and hop into the time machine to return to the question I asked in the opening of this article, practice both Microsoft and their customers demand the stores? Yes and no. Yeah for improving the company's image and ensuring at that place's some sort of client satisfaction when purchasing their products, namely WP7, Xbox 360, Office, Windows and possibly subscriptions to the Zune service. No because they don't actually have a large number of physical products like Apple does. HP, Acer, Sony, ASUS, Dell - just to name a few - all build devices that run Windows software. Non merely that, Microsoft depends on retailers to make the sells such as online sites like Amazon and Best Buy, besides as PC World and other physical retail chains.

Deploying a large number of stores featuring Microsoft'due south products (and services) likewise as displaying flagship desktop and laptop devices could in-plow take a negative impact for retailers already stocking. What's more is Microsoft'due south main products are software (Windows Os and Function) and while demonstrations, tutorials and back up could be offered in-store, you could only populate limited shelving with boxes of Windows 7. On the other hand, seeing (and walking into) a Microsoft shop must be awesome.

What could they practice to counteract the negative 'no' above? By having demonstrations every bit to how their products tin can be used, in the firm more than than anywhere. A lounge expanse featuring a Hard disk drive Idiot box, Xbox 360 (with Kinect), WHS (home server), Windows 7, Zune etc. and let potential customers employ the products as they would at home. Another idea would be to produce their own machines, similar Apple. Whatsoever PC savvy enthusiast will more than likely build their own machine, whereas an OS X user (similar myself) loves the product blueprint, both hardware and software that Apple provides. I don't want a HP, Acer, Samsung, ASUS or Dell, I wouldn't mind owning a truthful Microsoft laptop though. Aforementioned with WP7 in a sense.

Microsoft'due south product line seems slightly fragmented when looking at what they take to offering customers in comparison to their chief competitor. While it could be relatively easy to go the products defragmented and presentable as Microsoft alone, it could bring severe consequences for manufacturers. C'mon Microsoft, enough dancing to Black Eyed Peas, sort yourselves out corporately with where the visitor is going to exist heading.

What do you call up most the stores, and do you lot believe Microsoft could populate them enough to bulldoze attention from Apple?

Source: Techradar

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