LOL--Microsoft Stores Opening Soon!

[Hondamaker]

Poor Microsoft!

http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/15/microsoft-retail-stores-technology-paidcontent.html

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

That was on AppleInsider last week. Sounds pretty lame to me.

[iphonewarrior]

It's a pathetic attempt to try and boost there own sales.

[scottjf8]

Are they going to fix computers made by HP, Dell, etc?

[eye-Fone]

I think that they will always have a decent crowd on-hand at the stores, viewing/playing hands-on with products such as Xbox (http://www.xbox.com) 360, Surface (http://www.microsoft.com/surface/) computing, Photosynth (http://photosynth.net), etc. :003:happy

[aknightstale41]

And it says Microsoft is coming out with a new OS, "Windows 7" in october,...I'm still trying to get use to vista lol,... I need to get a Mac.

[Hondamaker]

And it says Microsoft is coming out with a new OS, "Windows 7" in october,...I'm still trying to get use to vista lol,... I need to get a Mac.
Yes you do! Although Windows 7 is ok.

[Londonrockz568]

I hear something about Win7 you can hack it from bios or boot up w/e. Pretty much if someone wants to do damage they can even stop you from booting up.

[aknightstale41]

Yes you do! Although Windows 7 is ok.

It does show some promising features:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features
but as London says, it's still not hack proof yet... hopefully there's a mac in my future.

[TarekElsakka]

Microsoft is awesome, I'd buy from their store any time.

[Londonrockz568]

Apple shouldnt be worried. If anything their market share will go up once people realize Win7 can be hacked so easily.

[eye-Fone]

Apple shouldnt be worried. If anything their market share will go up once people realize Win7 can be hacked so easily.
Since Win7 hasn't been released yet, any discussions on hacking the BIOS that you mentioned would certainly catch Microsoft's (and hardware manufacturers') attention.

BIOS routines are generally written by the hardware vendors, not by Microsoft since they are hardware-specific. At any rate, I'll bet the vendors (working alongside with MS) will plug those holes before it is officially released.

[acosmichippo]

If someone with a little knowledge and will gets ahold of your computer (mac or pc), there isn't much you can do to keep them from getting into it, unless you do some crazy data encryption.

Anyway, I'll be curious to see if these Microsoft stores offer any kind of software support... Probably not.

[KNK]

Go into any Best Buy Fryes etc and for years already Microsoft has been right next to Apple so what is that going to change??

[acosmichippo]

Yeah, microsoft's bread and butter is selling their software to businesses, which they forgot while designing vista. These stores just seem like another sad attempt to recapture some of he consumer market that Apple has a stranglehold on.

Let's face it, they can't offer hardware support (except for maybe xbox repairs), and I seriously doub they'll offer any kind of real software support... Which really only leaves room for demos and basic retail... Just doesn't seem worth it.

[Londonrockz568]

I thought as long as the market share for apple remained small it wouldnt be worth it for someone/group of people to hack into a mac.

Btw ive always wondered can you keylog or or spyware a mac?

[acosmichippo]

If we're discussing BIOS hacks, then it would be a situation where someone stole or acquired a lost laptop, and would be trying to access information on it. In this situation, marketshare has very little to do with the motives of the hacker.

[evolution83]

I believe my next computer will be a Mac. They come with a lot of nice features and I won't need to buy a cam, since it's built in, if I want to talk to my friends who are far away.

I like Windows and never really had a major problem with it, but I'd like to try a Mac after having an iPhone. It's by far the greatest technology I've seen. However, I will need to install Windows for certain games.

[Londonrockz568]

Once you go Mac you never go back.

[Hawk]

I think someone needs to take a Pic of the new MS Store when it opens and stamp "Fail" on it.
I mean really, what is the point? They already sell their software with most PC's, and it's not like a physical location is going to boost Zune sales.....

[up10ad]

It's a pathetic attempt to try and boost there own sales.
Not to single you out, but of course it is an attempt to boost their sales, that is the name of the game. It is what Apple does with the PC/Mac guy ads and to do less would be bad for business. Apple has been a direct sales vendor for a long time and MS is now apparently going to try and do so as well, in addition to selling in the channel.

Look, I've been a MS user since 1982 but have spent over 9K in the last few years on MAC laptops, accessories and iPhones. I consider myself quite well-rounded! :005:snicker

I like my MacBook Pro and my wife's MacBook Air, but I have to be honest, there isn't any magical difference in usability or even stability, and I'm a very heavy user of my Win OS systems. I'm still not convinced that my MacBooks are worth the price differential but I use them daily and I am very glad I got them. My next purchase will probably be a touchscreen Win7 netbook.

The iPhone on the other hand is revolutionary and I have seen nothing yet that can compete with the features and applications that make it indispensable to me.

I am anxious to see the final Win7 and the stores, and I'm expecting a really flashy, cutting-edge experience in the store. Regardless, this MS vs. Apple thing is getting old. Why can't we all just get along? :043:hearts

[acosmichippo]

so they're gonna be selling computers? That just seems weird since they don't make their own.

[eye-Fone]

Check out Microsoft's "Guru Bar" that will be in their store (http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum/off-topic/get-ready-for-the-new-guru-bar-52151.html).

[aknightstale41]

The Guru Bar lol,
it would be funny if Mike Meyers was there to kick things off in his love guru garb.

[Londonrockz568]

I dont think HP, Sony and Dell are going to be too happy with microsoft made PC's cutting into their sales. I think Dell does have stores or booths where you can buy test out their PCs.

We shall see how long this lasts.

[psylichon]

The guru bar is definitely facepalm material. Whoever's working creative over at MS needs to be fired pronto. Horrible.

I got nothing against them starting a storefront presence. I just don't think a lot of their core customer base requires it (I know I would never really go to one). Hard to imagine what will go on there, but I'm sure it will boost their consumer sales noticeably. I just wish they'd knock it off with the direct cloning thing. Really lame!