Copycat Impact Forces Apple to Invest

[Michael Essany]

If you look up the word "copycat" in any new dictionary these days, there's a very strong possibility you will see a photo of the first Microsoft Store, which opened late last week in Phoenix, Arizona. To say that Microsoft's new store simply resembles the typical Apple store would be a great understatement, indeed.

From Tuaw.com:

As you walk into the store, employees in brightly-colored t-shirts cheer and applaud. The store is spacious, with large wooden tables placed far enough apart that the opening-day crowd, standing on a hardwood floor, isn't packed into the place. At the back of the store is an "Answer Bar," where you can ask questions about the operating system on your computer. No, Apple didn't open a new Apple Store in Scottsdale on the 22nd. Instead, this was the opening of the first Microsoft Store.

Blatantly "borrowing" the look and feel of the Apple Store concept, Microsoft is even opening their stores near Apple Stores. Consequently, Apple is feeling the pressure to spruce up their own stores and the surrounding areas as quickly as possible. This fallout from Microsoft's new retail run hasn't
been widely acknowledged, but Apple is beginning to shell out big bucks to touch up their retail presence.

Look no further than my backyard in Chicago for evidence. From ifoapplestore.com:

Apple has signed an agreement with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to spend nearly $4 million to refurbish a run-down triangle of land next to its future Halsted Street retail store, including a subway entrance building, the underground train platform and a bus turnaround driveway. The project would be Apple’s most expansive spruce-up to date, and will help bring sparkle to the surrounding shopping district, which developers hope is on the rebound now that Apple is arriving. Structural steel has been erected for the store on Chicago’s north side, and the store could open by fall, 2010.

Similar examples are turning up at a variety of locations around the country where Microsoft could also break ground very soon.

The turf war between Microsoft and Apple will be substantial in 2010. With Microsoft endeavoring to hire the former real estate chief at Apple to consult on location planning for stores, and efforts to hire Apple Store managers to run their new retail outlets, Microsoft is attempting to do more than just compete with Apple. Microsoft effectively wants to become the "new Apple."

Consequently, Apple will have to do more than just invest in new products and software, they will also have to spend heavily to keep pace with the growth, expansion, and upkeep of a competitor's copycat retail chain.

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Image via Gizmodo

[boxxa]

The Microsoft store def has better looking girls working there. Step up Apple.

[Raptors]

Lol^^

[StarSoft]

Video filmed with an iphone?

[LongN3ck]

That multimedia wall display is pretty cool looking.

[anix11]

i hope your kidding about the girls....

[exNavy]

The Microsoft store def has better looking girls working there. Step up Apple.

I've been to a dozen different Apple stores and have only ever seen 1 girl in any of them - Stonestown Galleria.

[M4tt Dam0n]

The Microsoft store def has better looking girls working there. Step up Apple.

Competition is always good for us.

[ronfin44]

i hope your kidding about the girls....

Fail

I hope you're kidding about your spelling.

[turdsmoka]

i believe he was kidding about the girls.

[StealthBravo]

The Apple store by me has several hot girls working there.

[gvike16]

I wouldn't mind a Microsoft store to open where I live

[josh_green_1]

The Apple store by me has several hot girls working there.

Girls maybe, but hot by whose standard ;D

Hope Microsoft gets some stores open over here! Would be nice to be able to walk down a highstreet without seeing the Apple logo dominating!!

[gotjpeg]

come on microsoft open up one in florida!

[StealthBravo]

I doubt MS will open more than two or three of these novelty stores. And trust me the chicks are hot at the San Antonio Apple Store

[awesomeSlayer]

Which store will have the most chicks? What a good challenge!

[StealthBravo]

Which store will have the most chicks? What a good challenge!

haha. sounds great to me

[Boker]

What brand are they featuring? like dell?

[FURBY8704]

im sure any brand that sports their OS not including the zunes.


p.s. if you guys ever find out which store has the most hot chicks. drop me a line. ill for sure go pay a visit. money is not an object

[StealthBravo]

I won’t go into the whole “completely copying the look of the Apple Stores”, the color coded shirts of employees, and the “high fives” of the first customers that we’ve seen in hundreds of Apple Store openings over the years. But what I would like to draw your attention to is just how sad and confused the people seem to be once they actually get into the store. All the fake excitement and cheers from the employees gets them all worked up as they travel through a corridor of Star Trek extras until they are greeted by…. Three very elderly, unhip, suit wearing Microsoft corporate types. They then look around with vaguely puzzled “so… now what?” expressions as they realize there isn’t all that much to see or do in a store that basically sells corporate software. Although I guesss you could peruse the healthy selection of Zune cases…

hahahahaha