Microsoft tempting away Apple's retail help?
Genius, guru, same difference, right?
Word spread quickly this morning after The Loop's Jim Dalrymple that Microsoft had begun offering some Apple store employees sweet deals to jump ship and come work in their new retail outlets, citing anonymous sources.
The offers allegedly are coming to store managers, who, after signing on with Redmond, are contacting top Apple salespeople and offering them similar deals.
Microsoft's coming retail stores are slated to pop up in close proximity to existing Apple stores, as was reported in July.
Citing past Microsoft retail experiments, offers a word of caution to Apple's would-be switchers (no, not kind).
My advice to anyone at an Apple Store who finds Microsoft Money (the real thing, not the dead app) dangled in his or her face: Beware! Microsoft has bailed on a retail concept before. It happened in San Francisco, and while I feel Microsoft is committed this time, failure is quite possible. Though it could be years in the making.
It's an argument not far from the beloved "lipstick on a pig": A Microsoft retail store, even gussied up with an Apple Store's knowledgeable and friendly staff, is still selling Microsoft products 鈥� which is mostly software, not impulse-baiting hardware.
Besides the perception issues, Microsoft faces a daunting challenge in bringing products from a host of vendors under one umbrella. Apple stores are dealing with products whose hardware and software were designed and put together by the same company. For Microsoft, the scene is very different. explains:
While Microsoft Stores will certainly focus on Microsoft branded products, major products such as PCs are going to be produced by third-parties. That brand dilution will mean that it鈥檚 hard for Microsoft to have the same level of control over the experience that Apple does.
Then there鈥檚 the Guru Bar. I鈥檝e never been to an Apple Store when the Genius Bar wasn鈥檛 busy, and Macs are supposed to 鈥渏ust work.鈥� I hate to think how overworked Guru Bar staff are going to be. Not only that, but they鈥檙e going top have to be proficient in PCs and other hardware from countless vendors. That鈥檚 a tough gig that鈥檚 going to be the cause of a lot of grey hairs for support staff.
鈥撯赌�
The autumnal equinox: Myths and reality
It鈥檚 often said that the autumnal equinox is a day of perfect equilibrium 鈥� a 24-hour cycle split neatly into 12 hours of light, and 12 hours of dark. That鈥檚 not exactly true. Read more.
鈥撯赌�
Apple? Microsoft? Who would you rather work for? .
