I was waiting for them all to turn blue and freeze and fall down. and quite honestly, hoping so for their own sake. Fun fact, 82% of them quit the next day after their friends saw that video. Sadly, the male employees were not allowed to retrieve their penises from the locker room before security showed them out.

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In terms of copying stores, once there was a company called Gateway...

The Apple hype is partially from being burned for so many decades by MS, partially because it's a dang good product that's usually easy to use and works consistently(unless you want to open the hood), and partially because the company has survived and was an underdog company which many in society can relate to.

I heard the layout of a prototypical Microsoft store is to have a bunch of windows which are occasionally stuck, a whole bunch of back doors, an entrance turnstile that you have to put money into in order for it to let you in, and if you want to come back next week you'll have to pay again because it's a "new version", even if it looks the same. It'll also have a whole lot of patches and paint-overs all over the place.

Exactly what does Microsoft have to sell in the "Microsoft Store"? Let's see, we'll stock a boxed MS Windows disc, a boxed MS Office disc, a MS XBOX, a MS Zune well maybe not, and, uh, a Microsoft mouse. Okay, that's one shelf. Lot's of empty space for all the customers who will be beating down our doors!

Zune owner flash mob....with 100% attendance.

Heh. Student of mine just came back from a big MS conference in Orlando. She brought me a "MS Company Store" bag, with a Redhat Linux hat in it (no, it is black).

Need to have Mel Brooks with the 15 .. oops... 10 commandments...

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One corner has Windows phones. One corner has the Kinect, which is hugely popular - and likely how all those Employees learned the dance moves. The rest of the store is filled with various cool new tablets, super slim notebooks, gaming machines, and machines with big touch-screens. ...and of course, the software suites and such are scattered about the store.

I've gone there to buy a Tablet, Office, a windows phone and a water-proof thingy to take the phone swimming. Prices were significantly better than even online for all those purchases and the customer service has always been plentiful and thorough.

But please stay with Apple products - I don't like crowds. ;) ..every time I've gone to an Apple store I feel like I should have my immunizations and a bottle of Purell.

Very true. I understand that they have a mock-up store in Cupertino to try out new displays & placement. Everything must be approved by corporate. There is no personal innovation allowed. The store designers wouldn't let us move a product - even though the installation was flawed - and the local stores freaked out when we suggested it. They have a proven system that sucks their buyer in.

Ian

I agree, a nice, big, empty store where all the salespeople can give you their undivided attention is a nice shopping experience. Why doesn't every retailer offer that?

The Apple test store is at the HQ in Cupertino.

It is nice. ..Nice and roomy. Likely more than Twice the size of the Apple store. ...but then, I should also note that Microsoft has many more offerings than Apple.

Perhaps one of the most blatant and embarrassing examples of "white man" dancing to the Black Eyed Peas that Ive seen in a while.

MS Store, MS Phone, MS Slate (or what ever its called), all lame attempts to pick up market share. Years too late without anything to seriously surpass Apple or set the trend, just copy.

Bill G. got out when he was on top. Smart man.

The microsoft store theme song..........

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