Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple
Microsoft Gurus are not Apple Geniuses
According to a Friday article on Yahoo! Finance, Microsoft is introducing "Microsoft Gurus" at Best Buy and Circuit City stores nationwide. They plan on having 155 Gurus deployed by year-end, and will expand the program based on its success.While it may seem like this is copying Apple's Genius program, it's not. The Geniuses hang out at the Genius Bar in the local Apple Store, helping new Mac owners migrate data or resolve problems, fixing iPod and iPhone issues, and otherwise giving the customer help when they really need it -- after they've committed money to a product and can't get something to work properly.
In contrast, the Microsoft Guru program is only concerned with pre-sales questions. Gurus provide demos of how Microsoft applications work together, as well as answer questions about PCs in general and Windows in particular. This is reminiscent of Microsoft's previous attempts at having in-store sales reps, particularly in 2004 and 2005 when the company had contract staff at stores to push the ever-popular MSN Direct Smart Watches. You say you've never heard of MSN Direct or Smart Watches? That should give you an idea of how successful that pre-sales program was!
What do you think about the Microsoft Gurus? Leave a comment and/or take our poll.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Connor said 3:17PM on 9-08-2008
And where's the non-fanboy options?
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noza said 3:19PM on 9-08-2008
This idea isn't new; I knew a guy in college who did the same thing for HP - stood around at the local Best Buy answering pre-sales questions for printers and scanners.
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LongshotX said 3:21PM on 9-08-2008
Where do I apply?
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Jabbar said 3:23PM on 9-08-2008
I think the gurus are similar to apple's specialists, definitely not the geniuses.
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Seishi said 3:31PM on 9-08-2008
To sum it up:
Apple Geniuses = service department
Microsoft Gurus = sales
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Aron T said 3:32PM on 9-08-2008
If Microsoft really wants my business back they should release a solid, stable and secure operating system. The Mojave Experiment, Jerry Seinfeld, and these Gurus are all marketing stunts. You know what products are typically of the highest quality? The products that do not need tons of advertisement and convincing to buy...
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Prodigy said 4:33PM on 9-08-2008
And this product is... Linux?
Raheem said 3:33PM on 9-08-2008
I abstain from your biased and childish vote.
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markm said 4:18PM on 9-08-2008
fully agree with you.....
Baron said 3:35PM on 9-08-2008
After my first trip to our areas first apple store, all I can say is that I hope they aren't as aggressive as the Apple folks. Before I had made it to the end of the first island, 3 people asked if they could show us anything. For a computer (and other peripherals) that are supposed to be so easy to use (which I find them easy, but not any more so than a Windows or Linux box), why would someone need to show how it works?
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dain said 3:36PM on 9-08-2008
If Microsoft wants to send people to retail stores to help sell their products, more power too them. We need more jobs nowadays.
However, to give them the title of "Guru" is silly, and possibly insulting to people in the tech industry. Answering pre-sales FAQs and showing off Vista's eye-candy in no way makes you a Guru. When I hear "Microsoft Guru" I am thinking of someone who is at least MCSE certified.
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John said 4:27PM on 9-08-2008
Agreed, yet I doubt any of them would even hold an MCSE certification. Maybe they gave up after 5 attempts to pass the first exam and all they need is an MCP cert to be called a guru. What a shame.
aureliuz said 3:37PM on 9-08-2008
It's funny that such a giant as Microsoft , tries to gain the competitive advantage through silly marketing measures rather than bringing innovative products on.
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corpirate said 3:41PM on 9-08-2008
Might I point out that Apple's Geniuses (Genii?) answer questions / solve problems regardless of any purchase whatsoever.
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Shawn Christopher said 3:56PM on 9-08-2008
Wow, I read TUAW for the articles (kinda like playboy), and yet now it's getting to the point where every article is a fanboy Microsoft bash fest...I find it hilarious that when you want to take Microsoft to court, their the top, #1, monopolistic company around....but when you don't have to deal with them they suck.
That's like saying Mac OSX is the best OS for any computer out there...except it's only supposed to run on one. Wear both hats, I'm starting to get disgusted
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itsmeee said 3:59PM on 9-08-2008
I worked at Target christmas before last and I remember Microsoft sent in a guy to talk to people who were looking at iPods and ask them "Have you heard about the Microsoft Zune?", then go on to tell them how much better it is. At the time even with my love for Apple I was impartial and told people the ups and downs of both sides. After a few days of having him hang around to sell Zunes to people whether they fitted them or not I made it my goal to be Apples version of him. I told stories about how my subscription service kept forcing me to redownload all my music, and how you never actually owned the music you bought. I told them about how if the company or technology they used for subscriptions ended (which it happens constantly with microsoft) all your music would be unplayable. I told them how Zunes don't have the third party market, showed how the interface was easier on the ipod (bought a nice new one to show to customers).
The difference as I see it is Apples products sell themselves, the geniuses are just there to help people. With Microsoft it's about selling the product (in my experience), they are just running scared now that Apple has stores in Best Buy so people can see Mac's next to PC's.
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eus said 4:21PM on 9-08-2008
Apple's products sell themselves???
How many Ipod billboards/posters do you see? How many apple tv commercials do you see? And when you walk into an Apple Store, how many apple salesmen do you see??
Is it just me that sees this??
chris.wanja said 6:00PM on 9-08-2008
I must say that most of the products do sell them self. The ads that Apple produces are not as pushing as they are from the Microsoft side. Like the most recent one with Gates and Sinfield? Sure, the Mac vs PC is a bit pushy, but it is all in factual truth. The product does not need a showcase. It is all done through our ads. Apple has sales specialist to assist customers with their simple questions.
Nick said 3:59PM on 9-08-2008
If Best Buy wants to compete with the Apple Store, their best bet is to open a completely different shop, staff it with people who would NEVER work at BB, and pray that the public doesn't find out the corporate connection.
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clint Johnson said 10:42PM on 9-08-2008
This is a mac site. You don't like it? Go to Engadget or something.