Another Microsoft copy, sorry I meant to say innovation. But innovation and Microsoft are two totally different words, that never seem to sound right together. Didn’t they have a MS shop in California, thats now a Sony PlayStation shop? Don’t PC dealers/retailers count as PC shops? Like I care anyway. Its bound to fail, more money down the MS drain, which can only be a good thing. Any bets it will close within 12 months?

Translation? Their old business model of licensing software to PC vendors and letting them do their own marketing is tanking, so M$ is going to flail wildly at other opportunities to give their own brand more presence. Maybe rather than jump at every chance to try out these new business ideas, they should focus on brand equity by making products that people don’t complain about so much. Like… game systems that don’t overheat… music players that don’t flake out at the end of the year… an OS that doesn’t come in half a dozen assorted flavors.

You also have to wonder with limited retail space, how they’re going to decide which vendors’ PC boxes will be available in stores. I laugh at the thought of ridiculously long lines at their “genius bar”, too. : ) 

Again, I think M$ would be a lot better off focusing on making things that aren’t half-baked, rather than sticking their beak in everything under the sun. But hey, what do I know? I’m not a billionaire with money to throw around.

Whoop, my mistake: they won’t have a “Genius Bar”... M$ will call their support “The Highbrow Lounge”.

Widgets/Gadgets… Aqua/Aero…

ye, forgot the “genius bar”, what’s theirs going to be called; “suckers who bought our crappy product bar”, “we haven’t got a clue how to fix it bar”, “join the queue bar”, “its not a design fault, its meant to do that bar”. OK I could go on, but won’t. It think it will turn out to be a technical support shop more than anything else.

As long as they keep speaking like this:

“...by improving the articulation and demonstration of the Microsoft innovation and value proposition so that it’s clear, simple and straightforward for consumers everywhere.”

they will fail miserably.

xmattingly, you summed it up perfectly in one word - “translation”. If this is the phrase that reaches the public I feel sad for those at M$ who actually have to implement this project. How will they ever understand their directives?

Between laughs, some thoughts come to mind.

With what products, software only?
Showing off Sharepoint?
What ecosystem will it be based on, Zune?
Will the focus be Vista or 7?

I have to think this is an idea that jumped the shark.

Microsoft’s new business model…

See what Apple does
Balmer needs to say it will never work
Then copy it.

—- and—-

Say what an original idea Microsoft had.

Brutno, my thoughts exactly… that sentence reveals much about Microsoft. Lots of words, little substance, no communication. They just don’t get it in a big way.

Sometimes it really does make me wonder how in the world they grew to be so large.

Microsoft Stores: Because it worked out so well for Gateway.

I personally don’t see a reason for Microsoft to open retail outlets. If it’s going to be software only, then it’s going to turn into a Babbage’s, but if they do sell computers as well, who do they carry? Dell? HP? Lenovo? What about Falcon? Are they going to come up with their very own “Microsoft PC.”

Who knows, the Microsoft store could turn out to be an exact clone of Apple’s stores, and end up a hundred times more popular (originality doesn’t matter when the product is good).

You can’t hide cheapness.

Apple Genius -> Windows Wizard
Genius Bar -> Wizard Worktable

This will work, alliteration sells baby!