Microsoft will open stores in Arizona, California
Microsoft plans to open two of its first retail locations in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mission Viejo, Calif., CNET News has learned.
The software maker confirmed on Tuesday that it has signed leases in both spots as part of an effort to launch its first retail outlets this fall.
"Over a billion people use our products every day yet we don't always have a way to directly connect with them," said Microsoft spokeswoman Kim Stocks. "We see the physical stores, as well as a consistent online experience, helping that."
The Orange County, Calif., store is in a mall that already houses an Apple retail store. Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner said at this month's Worldwide Partner Conference that some of the locations would be right near Apple stores.
The first stores' fall opening comes at an opportune time for Microsoft, which is launching Windows 7 on October 22.
"We're all very excited at Microsoft that we have a huge wave of innovation on the horizon," Stocks said. "The stores are an opportunity absolutely to share with customers those technologies."
Stocks said that Microsoft heard from customers that they wanted a simpler way to buy PCs.
"Our customers have told us three things--they want a more simplified buying option for PCs and devices, great technology, and competitive prices and a knowledgeable staff."
Over time, Microsoft plans to open stores outside the U.S., but the company hasn't said when that will occur. "The goal is to go global," Stocks said. "We are not sharing specific locations beyond the two we are announcing today."
As for products, Stocks said there will be products "in the areas of laptops, mobility gaming, and software." That will include Microsoft software and hardware, of course, as well as brand-name PCs and software from other companies.
On Friday, some of Microsoft's early store plans were leaked onto the Web. In February, Microsoft confirmed it had hired Wal-Mart veteran David Porter to lead up an effort to open up Microsoft-branded retail stores.
Microsoft declined to confirm the details of what will be in the stores--including a rumored "answer bar"--although Stocks did say that the stores would have both sales and support staff.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Microsoft directly connects to me every day through UAC!
//troll
Amen
Or... you all could juet get a life. I now, I know, that would be hader, but it is the better choice.
You are taking a huge leap to assume that anyone is going to show up.
I find it amusing they chose Scottsdale, one of the worst cities in the Phoenix area.
You must be joking. Scottsdale is probably one of the better cities in the Phoenix area. From what I hear, mostly here on Cnet, Apple plans to open a store there too.
These stores will look like the busiest places on earth.
Now those billions of people who have been burned by Microsoft will finally have a place to go give Microsoft a piece of their mind!
Love it!
Copiers? Yes, and I expect you are also calling Apple that as well, right? You woudln't want to get caught being a hypocrfite, right? :)
"Yes we are out of Win7 and we need a new mouse and keyboard for the kid's room."
"Well, I was only planning on going to the Mac store for some Granny Smiths but I can go Window shopping too"
+1
Microsoft's early business strong arm tactics and back stabbing reputation as a market industry bully is now showing signs of rearing its ugly head. (You reap what you sow as they say...). Microsoft may own the OS market (for now) but I highly doubt they will be relevant in another 5-10 years as others VC companies emerge and begin to take market share away from them indirectly as Apple is doing now. Not to say Apple will own the OS or cell phone market either its just that their business approach and product vision is more in line with what consumers desire. Their iPhone/iPod market vision yielded a huge halo effect a has had a profound impact on their bottom line. Microsoft knew this was happening but ignored them thinking they would not gain back the relevance they once had in the 80's, but they were dead wrong. As they were with the Internet when it was first released for public consumption and Netscape ruled the cloud. I can't even think of anything Microsoft has created in the past 10 years that even comes close to what Apple and Google (even Yahoo) has done in the same time period.
I do have a feeling that some unknown upstart will invent something in the very near future that is a game changer and may catch people off guard.... and it won't come from Apple or Microsoft.
I have been in the computer industry since 1979 and have a Masters Degree in Computer Science just in case anyone is wondering... =]
The winds of change are a comin folks! (Hold on to your Fedora's (hats)! =]
Go back to your cave troll.
All those car companies must be me too companies as well you know they're all making cars.
Amen
How much Apple paying you to spread your ********?
...and OAMG it'll do EVERYTHING!!!11!!11 I tried out the beta, and it even did my laundry and walked the dog before it was fully booted! Holy crap! When this thing comes out, fairies will pop out of your keyboard (and they'll all look really hot!), your bills will magically be all paid-up, and WORLD PEACE will spontaneously break out all across the globe!
You just wait... you just wait!
(for the sarcasm-impaired, well... you figure it out).
1. The may back doors in Windows by design or through hacking make Windows not acceptable for national security reasons.
2. Windows in designed to control and spy on users in corporate environnments, not in national environments on the internet.
Come on now, if you are going to complain about a company not being original, you could at least make your own comments not a copy. :)
But beyond that, yeah, Apple's been copying other companies for years, and yet these same people conveniently forget this. It's not a flattering refelction.
Selective memory is a wonderful thing for these folks.
I'm sure glad Apple was the first company in the world to:
Invent a portable music player
Invent the computer
Invent an online store
Invent a television didgital media device
Invent a laptop
Invent a cell phone.
Yep, they invented ALL of those. There was never any such devices before they came along.
Now then, don't you all start shouting back BS, that these all existed before Apple invented them, but remember... to Apple trolls, only their opinion matters and will reject any attempts to present pesky annoying things like facts or reality.
Thankfully nobody else listens to 'em either.
It might even make you tell the truth now and then.... NAAAAAAH! :)
ReInvent a portable music player
ReInvent the computer
ReInvent an online store
ReInvent a television didgital media device
ReInvent a laptop
ReInvent a cell phone.
Reinvent the online store
Reinvent the retail store
Reinvent the OS
so many I lost count sorry. It sucks to be the BEST.
OK. Glad we sorted that out.
Lets see
Apple store
http://news.cnet.com/i/ne/p/2006/interior3_550x367.jpg
Microsoft Store
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEW8ITpUvSs
I think I would prefer to shop at the Microsoft store.
Dude, seriously - who are you trying to snow over? You would claim to buy stuff from the Microsoft store, even if the products all looked and smelled like the back half of a Wyoming sheep truck in August.
Apple stores are aiming at regular users who love to purchase toys.
how long for?
I have been using windows for +12 years. You know how many viruses I have been affected by, 1.
You know how many BSOD I have encounterd with Vista on the 3 machines I use regulary, ZERO.
OneCare keeps my machines free of spyware.
Just like those commercials, you are over exaggerating reality.
I know people who are ******** and don't watch what they click, except they have less to worry about because they are on an Apple. Of course viruses can get into the Mac OS, but the consumer doesn't realize this as they feel comfortable and protected on a Mac <--- this is the difference! Whether it is reality or not isn't the point, that comfort focuses on the average 'retarded' consumer and that is where Microsoft seems to have failed.
My Mac locks up occasionally, they aren't immune.
But you must be able to admit that Microsoft seems to play catchup... people will eventually catch on to this once the M$ smoke screen fails.
//2 cents.
When you think the company who makes your product is the best in the world then your obviously going to believe all the competitors are playing catch up.
You apparently haven't been to an Apple Store recently... the staff there tends to be rather insulting, condescending, and really isn't interested in helping you unless you first whip out your credit card. Even then, they need to know what you are buying first so they can prioritize yoru service level. Sorry, customers are not all created equal.
I'd rather buy from Apple online or go to Best Buy than go to an Apple Store again. The customer service was lower than Comcast.
lol, that's the accurate definition of Windows users (aka win-bots), this is why M$ and its buffoon in chief Ballmer have got away with it for so long. Users were afraid to change long held habits, even if that meant having to put up with hideous OSs, virus ridden, expensive and hard to maintenance with poor graphic interface, disgraceful software.
free yourself from shackles, get rid of M$ embrace new ways and the future. Get a Mac or switch to Linux
W7 will stop OS X's market share increase and probably reduce it as a lot of new Mac buyers are disillusioned with what it was supposed to provide and what it actually does. Also, Android phones are a few months away of beating the iPhone - the Hero does on the UI front and it's now just a matter of time before they link that to appropriate hardware and Steve still won't have learned that peopel actually don't want you to control all th experience.
Soon Apple will just be relegated to that quaint little company that produces iPods again. You know, where they belong.
1. Cupertino Square mall. Granted, the place is a ghost town but it's literally in the back yard of Apple and next door to the plot of land where Apple has planned to expand their campus to.
2. Palo Alto, on University Avenue. Why? Because Steve "It's just a glandular problem" Jobs lives in Palo Alto and wouldn't he just love to see a Microsoft store in his own personal backyard? If Microsoft was feeling particularly obnoxious, they could even buy a plot of land across the street from the Apple store to put in an apricot orchard. ;-) (Only a select few people will get that reference, but Steve Jobs once bought a neighbor's home, tore it down so his wife could plant an apricot orchard. When Jobs and his wife were mocked about this internally at Apple in the late 90s, he got security to find out who did it so he could fire the person.) They could even put a special handicapped parking space that only S class MB's with no license plates could park at. Ahh who wouldn't love and appreciate the mockery of his holiness?
- If Windows users are having a hard time buying a computer from Best Buy or WalMart, wait 'til they try COUNTING.
MS still seriously has a problem sensing how the public perceives its products; they're utilitarian and nothing to get excited about.
Products like MOM, IIS, Win2k8, SQL, Exchange, etc that live in the data center don't have to be sexy products that inspire the masses to consume then, but consumer products do have to create passion and desire. Dell, HP, Acer - they generally don't make hot products that are ground breaking and if they are, they certainly are not marketed effectively to the masses. But Microsoft has to learn that being an also ran that leverages their distribution channels, OEMs and the like is not going to cut it anymore. They in theory learned this when they attempted to create incentives for their PlaysForSure partners to create a sexy portable audio player to dethrone the iPod, but it didn't work, hence the Zune. Sadly, the Zune was a rebranded Toshiba Gigabeat S without much of a value add and a lower CNET rating than the device it was built upon. Hopefully, with their last quarter being so bad and with the layoffs that Microsoft has had to endure, Balmer will be able to turn the ship around.
By the way, don't think that Microsoft is the only one doing lay offs. No no - Apple does layoffs all the time. When the new VP joined their hardware group a number of months, he took his time, figured out what people were going to be loyal to him vs the now exited Mike Bell and then laid off a large amount of engineers. The difference is that Apple, due to the number of people they lay off at the time and due to paperwork that Apple employees sign on their way out, don't have to formally announce it.
Nobody knows how this will turn out, that's why it's an experiment.
When has Apple ever responded to an inquiry from the media? I think that is your answer right here as to why they aren't listed in CNET's layoff lists. Unless the court or federal government forces them to comment, they are closed mouthed about everything.
Remember, just because it is not in the media does not mean it doesn't happen.
The people that were recently laid off in hardware land had been at Apple for quite some time. I know because I've worked for Apple (3 times) and a number of my friends are still there and tell me stuff all the time. How do you think I reported on CNET before the Wall Street Journal did about the liver surgery Steve Jobs got? That's right - friends at Apple told me.
Proof:
http://news.cnet.com/8618-13579_3-10257987.html?communityId=2070&targetCommunityId=2070&blogId=37&messageId=8030503&tag=mncol;tback
From this story:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10257987-37.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody
- by ruban_dotmac July 28, 2009 6:53 PM PDT
- Microsoft simply has no original ideas, They always copy Apple and other innovators.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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- by Vegaman_Dan July 28, 2009 8:24 PM PDT
- Well, it certainly seems to work for Apple to copy others, so why not? :)
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- by alexgrneyes July 29, 2009 7:15 AM PDT
- I agree. In the history of computer that I've known, Microsoft is always following the footsteps of Apple.
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- by b_baggins July 29, 2009 7:21 AM PDT
- @vegaman,
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- by BLSCPTS July 29, 2009 8:16 AM PDT
- @b_baggins
- Like this
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (135 Comments)It is simply a copycat company.
Go ahead and tell me who invented the cell phone, the mp3 player, the computer, the online web store, a GUI, etc. Here's a hint, it's not Apple.
Now, go ahead and tell us who invented products on your list that were actually usable by Joe Sixpack.
Anyone with a brain knows that's Apple's genius is taking technology and making it consumer-friendly.
Joe Sixpack? Apple makes products for him? Really? From what I know of Joe Sixpack he couldn't afford the cost of Apple's products.
However, Joe can buy and use cell phones, MP3 players and a PC (none of which are made by Apple) and still have some $ left for a six pack.