# The Microsoft ghost town **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 17, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576 "2011-12-17T21:44:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/21 "2011-12-18T23:53:03Z")
Srsly, I thought that storefront was just to make me check on line. Total real person fail. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/22 "2011-12-19T00:04:55Z")
posting on meds ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/23 "2011-12-19T01:13:52Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I would group [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) under “online,” actually. Can you really just waltz into Best Buy or Walmart or whatever and pick up an iPod or an iPhone? I honestly had no idea, not ever having tried. Edit: Also, if the answer is “yes,” which I assume by your post that it is, then I feel silly. 😛 I don’t know about the iPad, MacBook or their desktop computers, but you can buy iPods in just about any electronics or department store. We got ours at Sam’s Club. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/24 "2011-12-19T01:24:05Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I would group [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) under “online,” actually. Can you really just waltz into Best Buy or Walmart or whatever and pick up an iPod or an iPhone? I honestly had no idea, not ever having tried. Edit: Also, if the answer is “yes,” which I assume by your post that it is, then I feel silly. 😛 > [@joebuck20](#): > > I don’t know about the iPad, MacBook or their desktop computers, but you can buy iPods in just about any electronics or department store. We got ours at Sam’s Club. Shit, you can buy iPods/iPhones from _[vending machines](http://www.shrutibhandari.com/images/ipod_vending_machine_2.jpg)_ at the airport. For realsies. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/25 "2011-12-19T01:43:08Z")
Oh they opened the local Microsoft store here with two days of hoop-la. They closed a very busy parking lot to have bands and prizes. Of course, the lot was the one for the Apple store 300 yards away. Even here in Gatesville, the Microstore isn’t doing as well as the Apple Store. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/26 "2011-12-19T01:45:50Z")
double post ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/27 "2011-12-19T01:49:05Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Oh they opened the local Microsoft store here with two days of hoop-la. They closed a very busy parking lot to have bands and prizes. Of course, the lot was the one for the Apple store 300 yards away. > > Even here in Gatesville, the Microstore isn’t doing as well as the Apple Store. No kidding. I had to make a visit to the Genius Bar today at the U. Village Apple Store. Place was so packed it was hard to breathe. The Microsoft store across the parking lot had just a handful of people in it. I will say that I was moderately surprised to see a couple of Surfaces out on display. When I worked at Microsoft, for a brief period I was in the same building as the Surface team, and despite the fact that they had tons of them sitting around, no one was ever actually able to show me what you were supposed to _ **do** _ with them. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/28 "2011-12-19T02:04:32Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > [Sony is jumping on the bandwagon](http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/30/sonys-latest-retail-strategy-follow-apples-lead/) as well with Apple knockoff-type stores. A Sony store makes sense, as Sony produces a wide variety of consumer electronics. What exactly is sold at the Microsoft store? The XBox and a bunch of third-party hardware running Windows? It sounds to me like Microsoft is spending a lot of its own money to sell other people’s hardware. With their own software bundled, of course, but they were already getting that at every electronic retailer in the country without having to pay for a storefront. I don’t see how this works strategically for Microsoft. (I’m not sure that it works for Sony, either, but it least has a chance of succeeding for them). ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/29 "2011-12-19T02:07:31Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Even here in Gatesville, the Microstore isn’t doing as well as the Apple Store. They just opened up an Apple Store here in Waterloo, which is RIM’s (Blackberry) hometown. Every day I’ve been at the mall (which is usually at least once a week as there is a grocery store there) the Apple Store is absolutely packed. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/30 "2011-12-19T02:09:33Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Microsoft feels compelled to copy Apple in everything they do. Since the Apple stores have been a smashing success (more [dollars/square foot](http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20096519-17/another-apple-win-retail-sales-per-square-foot/) than any other US retailer), Microsoft figured that they better cash in also. If the crowds I’ve seen are any indication, they are failing miserably. Microsoft has been placing their stores as close as they can to Apple’s. Yeah, 'cos Windows Phone and Windows 8 are _such_ rip-offs of Apple :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/31 "2011-12-19T02:20:46Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > [Sony is jumping on the bandwagon](http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/30/sonys-latest-retail-strategy-follow-apples-lead/) as well with Apple knockoff-type stores. The Sony store has been in the same mall as Apple for years. In fact, I think the Sony store pre-dates Apple. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/32 "2011-12-19T02:24:38Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > The Sony store has been in the same mall as Apple for years. In fact, I think the Sony store pre-dates Apple. Can’t be true. If you read the article (dated Nov. 30th, 2011): > [@](#): > > In April, Sony opened the doors to its first official “Sony Store” (as opposed to the Sony Style stores, which are being replaced by, well, Sony Stores) in Century City in Los Angeles. To put it succinctly, it’s pretty damn beautiful. It’s also strikingly similar to the approach Apple took in its retail stores. Products are displayed on a relatively open floor, interrupted only by plain white tables and a row of massive floor-to-ceiling displays. From the outside, you can see just about every corner and crevice through an entirely glass store-front, and in the back you’ll find a dedicated little module in which you can get the full Sony Home Entertainment experience. So maybe what you saw in that mall was a “Sony Style store”. And it probably didn’t have quite the same aesthetic as these new Apple-like stores. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/33 "2011-12-19T02:32:34Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > So maybe what you saw in that mall was a “Sony Style store”. And it probably didn’t have quite the same aesthetic as these new Apple-like stores. They’re putting a pretty fine point on it. The big sign over the entrance only says ‘Sony’, and the the description in the article sounds exactly like the store that’s been there for years with the exception of the interior color scheme. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/34 "2011-12-19T02:36:33Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > They’re putting a pretty fine point on it. The big sign over the entrance only says ‘Sony’, and the the description in the article sounds exactly like the store that’s been there for years with the exception of the interior color scheme. What he said. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/35 "2011-12-19T03:13:00Z")
The only way these stores make sense is if Microsoft has some more consumer-focused devices coming down the pike and they want to make sure they have an established base of storefronts ahead of time. Maybe there’s some interesting devices based on their Surface or Kinect technologies that will be the Next Big Thing. I’d say there’s about a 10% chance of that, a 5% chance of “Other”, and a 85% chance of, “See! We have stores too! We’re cool now, right?” ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/36 "2011-12-19T04:03:09Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Yeah, 'cos Windows Phone and Windows 8 are _such_ rip-offs of Apple :rolleyes: Precisely. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/37 "2011-12-20T15:39:25Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Precisely. Remind me again what Apple actually invented, not just made pretty. MP3 players - no Tablet computers - no Cell phones - no Computers - no Touch screens - no Aren’t they the same people who swore to not get involved in the music business because real Apple (aka the Beatles) was already in that field? I find people worshipping Apple while wearing their obligatory Steve Jobs kneepads quite distasteful. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/38 "2011-12-20T15:46:22Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Remind me again what Apple actually invented, not just made pretty. > > MP3 players - no > Tablet computers - no > Cell phones - no > Computers - no > Touch screens - no > > Aren’t they the same people who swore to not get involved in the music business because real Apple (aka the Beatles) was already in that field? > > I find people worshipping Apple while wearing their obligatory Steve Jobs kneepads quite distasteful. Apple invents lots of technology. But, what they are better at is identifying nascent technologies and putting them into their products before anyone else. For a few examples: 3.5" Floppies Mouse GUI Touchpads Multi-touch WiFi USB Handwriting recognition GUI phone Thunderbolt (and I could think of many others) Apple may not have “invented” all of these technologies, but they made products with them and put them on the market before any other major player. That is why Microsoft and others are always playing the “copy Apple” game. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/39 "2011-12-20T15:46:27Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Remind me again what Apple actually invented, not just made pretty. > > MP3 players - no > Tablet computers - no > Cell phones - no > Computers - no > Touch screens - no > > Aren’t they the same people who swore to not get involved in the music business because real Apple (aka the Beatles) was already in that field? > > I find people worshipping Apple while wearing their obligatory Steve Jobs kneepads quite distasteful. Remind me again what Microsoft actually invented, not just ripped off from other people? MP3 players - no Tablet computers - no Cell phones - no Computers - no Touch screens - no Was there a point to your post at all, other than bashing Apple? I mean, you’re free to do that, I just wondered if you were also trying to add to the discussion somehow and I missed it. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576/40 "2011-12-20T15:54:28Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Remind me again what Apple actually invented, not just made pretty. Um…how about the _Personal Computer_? Or do you think Altair deserves the kudos for that one? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-microsoft-ghost-town/606576.md?page=3)