Who knows though, knowing apple, they will mange to do something so incredibly simple, yet innovating. As long as apple has innovation, and leaves Microsoft at least 1 step behind, they may survive.

But what difference does it make if Microsoft copies everything that Apple does when the clientele they are targeting is completely different from Apple’s clients? Microsoft is targeting poor Windows users that could just as soon shop in Costco or K-Mart for $300 crapbox computers. They buy whatever is cheapest at the moment and have no brand loyalty, whatsoever. Since Windows users are supposedly so much smarter than Mac users and they use Windows computers at work, they don’t need customer support or training so they don’t have a need for a Microsoft retail store. People can buy those cheap Windows computers everywhere, so surely Microsoft isn’t going to be selling them in their retail stores at a premium. I’m curious to see what computer brand is going to get top billing at Microsoft retail stores.

Those MS Gurus will have to be ten times smarter than an Apple Genius because of all the various Windows computer company boxes, PCI cards and Graphics cards are going to baffle even the smartest Guru to solve in a few minutes time. Windows users having problems are going to be lined up around blocks for miles waiting for Guru help. Those ex-Apple employees are going to wish they’d stuck with Apple and had fewer headaches with less pay.

Good luck with Microsoft on building a Cartier-style retail chain to sell Timex-priced watches to tightwad buyers. That should go over just grand. I guess their motto will be “Think cheap.”

How stupid.

actually I would say that apple is like nine Inch nails. Trent reznor didn’t invent “industrial” rock he simply presented it in such a way that made it accessible to the masses. That’s no easy task. Sooner or later someone was going to invent the wheel. Its how you implement that wheel that matters…..otherwise it’s just a wheel.

your assesment of what pisses off “fanboys” couldn’t be more wrong. No one cares how much mone Microsoft has or how many people use their software vs. Apple or anyone else. Microsoft seems to have this need to get into everything whether it is profitable or not just for the sake of gaining “market share” in yet another arena. Maybe they should concentrate on making what made them in the first place ( os….office…..) the best it can be

because he wasn’t innovative?

No.

because he wasn’t innovative?

look kids. I only say this kind of stuff because for some reason, the fanboys get their panties in a bunch if anyone even mentions a fact like Microsoft makes more money than almost any other company in the world, that their man is the richest in the world, and more people are running windows than all other OS combined

Microsoft innovations=?

Only windows holds a massive lead in what? the enterprise which uses cheap boxes made by a wide varieties of makers but not MS. The ITs in the enterprise are living on handouts from MS and without windows they are out of a job.

… why does Microsoft hold a massive lead in computer and software sales worldwide?

Why was George W. Bush president for two terms? Therein lays your answer.

Many countries have banned the use of MS products after the Vista fiasco and have turned to products like Linux. Just because MS has a lead now doesn’t mean they’ll keep it. Actually, MS has started to see a loss in share for the first time in its history and with the likes of Ballmer and MS’s lack of originality as of late, it’s not too hard to conceive that MS will continue to slip if it doesn’t do something soon.

If they were THAT comfortable with their lead, they would not be so concerned about countering Apple with its silly “I’m only seven years old and I’m a PC” craptastic ads…

Take this for example. What if every rock band in the world decided to just cover U2 songs because they are so popular. If they choose to mimic U2′s performance style and song writing instead of developing their own, we’d like little use for more than ONE band. U2. Now, U2 didn’t invent music but they took an industry and made it something special. Just like Apple did with technology and marketing. Apples hardware, software, and marketing style are are original and those to “borrow” from it only make themselves look like cheap imitations.

MS has done that with the Zune, their “I’m a PC” commercials and creating that abortion of an OS called Vista just to make a pretty interface like OS X. As soon as they stop trying to make the next iPod killer or cutesy commercial and really focus on things like securing their OS from trojans, viruses, and malware; improving and stabilizing their Windows Mobile OS; and work on getting a winning product like the Xbox 360 stable so that it doesn’t constantly crash, then we’ll be happy see them succeed.

No Apple user, fanboys aside, wants to see MS fail. No thinking person would want a corporate monopoly on technology. That’s the kind of thing a true geeks nightmares are made of. The same is true with wireless carries. Seems like users want ever other carrier other then their personal favorite to fail not realizing that if, in fact they did, the last carrier standing would charge more and deliver less. Bend over!

So, again, I don’t want to see them fail. I’d just like to see some real excitement coming from other companies as well as Apple. If, as some people say and I don’t agree with, is all about the marketing, then perhaps MS should focus more on Apple’s marketing team than their retail store employees.

Microsoft will never innovate and set trends, or even fool people into thinking they have, the way Apple successfully has.

People are only going to walk into these stores to see if they can use the bathroom.

Why do Apple fanboys want every competitor to fail? So Apple can become even more controlling? I wish MS success so that consumers have a viable alternative to Apple.

Any employees that happen to be reading this…think before you make the jump! If this goes under then MS will have no problem throwing you under the bus!