For the longest time, there were no specialty retailers, competing on design, in the category of computer gear. Apple finally figured this out, and designed their own upscale stores. They are doing so well, in China people are faking complete Apple stores, to the point the employees think they are working for Apple, see here.
This, from Apple, is the real thing.
Now, directly across the street from a very busy Apple store, another group is faking an Apple store.
That company is Microsoft, who is copying every feature of the Apple store, down to the clerks wearing solid T Shirts. Microsoft is really pushing the envelope when they put their logo on the sleeve of the shirt rather than the chest.
Happily Apple was already doing business when Microsoft began, so there was a choice in the micro-computer world. I found the Microsoft products dismaying, even a net deficit when trying to get work done. Apple products suffered no such lack, so I have been all Apple, all the time, since 1984. (I did twice buy a pc, thinking it was required in some application, but it turned out to be not true.) I go farther than many, I will not allow any microsoft software on my machines.
In their Apple store copy, Microsoft is mimicking the Apple "Genius Bar" with the Microsoft "Answer Disk." Microsoft is going after the business market, but too late, Apple is winning that battle. And Microsoft will push its Windows Phone 7. Uggh! As Apple always makes their products better with the new versions, Microsoft is always just trying to get their products to work. Version 7 and it still is no good.
Microsoft is trolling for employees, and no doubt people not hired by Steve Jobs at Apple will find gainful employment. But the url for a job at the store with Microsoft is MicrosoftStoreJobs.com. Is this subliminal advertising referring to Steve Jobs? Will people feel "Steve Jobs?"
I was mystified to watch microsoft grow in spite of its mediocre, or worse, offerings. Then I happened to see an article with the charts of growth of government workers juxtaposed to an article on the growth of microsoft. Looking closely, they were one and the same. Aha! Microsoft was selling to a government hiring people like crazy in the 80s and 90s and 00s, and provided all these people something to do all day. Screw around with a computer. And governments actually paid for software back in those days! There was no market feedback to Microsoft, just govt worker feedback that did not care if the product was any good. Whether or not these people produced anything did not matter, the taxpayer would shovel out their pay no matter what.
And since microsoft could simply shift the cost of computer security onto the govt and taxpayers, they could keep the money that would have been invested stopping spam and building security. Thus Gates' deca-billions.
Apple of course served real working people, so security was good and they came up with good spam protection, but most of all, the computers and software do what we want them to do. Microsoft never inculcated customer satisfaction into their corporate identity. So now as govt shrinks, and microsoft follows, microsoft can only copy Apple. It is kinda sad. Others have tried it, in the same shopping district, and their stores have more employees than customers.
Maybe there is hope. Bertolt Brecht said a man can reform his life with his dying breath. True, and Graham Greene countered if it is not a lifelong practice it is unlikely to occur at death.
Also, a Neiman Marcus grade electronics store might work well, as a retail venture.
0 comments:
Post a Comment