Found Footage: Apple/Microsoft throwdown at Mall of America

Microsoft has made it a point to open stores in very close proximity to the Apple Stores. In Bellevue, WA there is a Microsoft Store opening in a bigger, higher profile location in Bellevue Square, not more than 200ft from the smaller Apple Store.

My honest opinion is that Microsoft is throwing a hail mary at the public to get some much needed hype on their products. And someone touched on a really big point... the gurus at the Microsoft store have a really big job ahead of them. Being a former Genius, I can say that troubleshooting at the Apple store is easy due to Apple's stellar support of their hardware and software.

These stores will not last long; borrowing Apple's vision is not going to give Microsoft success in their retail experience.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Next we'll see Balmer squeezing into black turtle-neck sweaters...

Wow, looks like Microsoft copied everything down to the lanyards!

I was literally just there a few weeks back! I didn't think it newsworthy enough to inform any of my Apple sites about.

We all know Microsoft is opening stores. Some of those stores are larger than Apple's. None, I suppose, are as big as this one to be sure.

Apple has always made their stores a bit smaller than they could have, or in some cases should have. However, this allows their stores to always appear popular and busy, filled with people playing and learning and buying and getting things serviced.

Microsoft will be wasting a lot of money on this store. I saw more Apple equipment at Mall of America than in the vicinity of any other AppleStore I've been to except San Francisco and 5th Street NYC.

bloat#
Bloat.net

"I'm a PC and bloated storefronts were my idea."

WTF do they think they're gonna put in there? I mean I guess Microsoft Store is good in concept but that big? they aren't gonna be able to fill it up!

That used to be the old Gap store. The location is moving up in the world. From mere Gap to Gaping Abyss.

LOL. I'm guessing the amount of money that Apple makes from their store daily would equal the amount of money Microsoft loses on their store daily. I mean really, a place that big is probably expensive to run and staffed.

If they ever did that here in Utah, I know a lot of people that would line up in front of the Apple Store on the MS store opening day just to tick them off. :P

I thought he was gonna say, "aaaalllll the way across the sky."