“Goldy and I have [arrived Thursday] at University Village to cover the grand opening of the 12th-ever Microsoft Store,” Paul Constant reports for The Stranger. “It’s super-easy to find the new Microsoft Store; it’s directly across the parking lot from the Apple Store.”
“And ‘grand’ this ‘opening’ sure [was]! Dozens of people ‘occupied’ University Village [Wed.] night, camping overnight for the privilege of being the first few customers in Microsoft’s new retail mecca (good thing nobody told the SPD, eh?),” Constant reports.
Constant reports, “Hundreds of people, from as far away as Ohio and Australia, lined up…”
Goldy interviews the many folks lined up outside the grand opening of the new University Village Microsoft Store in Seattle on Thursday, October 20th, to find out what they’re so eager to buy:
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Just once, we’d love to see Microsoft attempt to “grand open” one of their pretend Apple Stores without using free concert tickets for bait. Their shams, er.. stores would be as empty as they are for the rest of their existence.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Feral Mac” for the heads up.]
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Secret to success inside Apple’s retail juggernaut – June 15, 2011
Apple Retail Stores challenge department anchor stores – June 10, 2011
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Apple Retail Stores hit 10th anniversary (with video of Steve Jobs’ tour of 1st store) – May 18, 2011
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How Apple’s Steve Jobs is revolutionizing Manhattan retail – May 08, 2007
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Cant see the video on my iPad
Dinosaurs
Works on mine.
Are you running iOS5?
Using iPad 1 with iOS 5.
It’s a shame Apple can’t open a store without haveing great products and fantastic customer service
??????????????????
Proofread dude.
Did you mean Microsoft, not Apple?
Look up “sarcasm”
Mine doesn’t either, even though it shows up as HTML5 on my MBP.
On my iPad I get this stupid message: “Your browser (MDN app) does not currently recognize any of the video formats available.” Works fine in Safari on my iPad, though. 8-{
Don’t use the app. Use safari. That’s what it’s for.
That just made my day!!! First time I really felt happy Since Oct 5th.
This is utterly shameful.
+1
Funniest video of the year
Just wait till you see the size of their next grand opening crowd. They will be raffling off iPads. Hehe.
Priceless!
Gee, Apple’s able to get crowds for any store opening in the world, and all they hand out are t-shirts.
-jcr
I was recently at the opening of the Apple store on 4th St., in Berkeley (sadly, one of the last stores to open just before Job’s untimely passing).
But what was so cool, was knowing that everyone in line was basically there for the love of ‘Apple’ and the OS (and of course, a t-shirt and high-five from the staff). It was really a fun, shared experience.
Most pc people I talk to, don’t even know what operating system they’re running.
I loved the end: Mayor, “Ha — I use an iPhone.”
Someone go back a month later and see if the store has any traffic. Hehe
Wow… There are actually TWELVE of those things out there now?
What are they selling? Gateways?….
Gateways to computing hell ‘natch.
What exactly does ms sell xbox’s and office software how do you fill a store with that garbage Ohh and some real nice cases for their shitty iPhone lookalikes lol
Hahahahaha….gasp…I just want to say….hahahahah…gasp….I just want to say….hahahahah….gasp………oh crap…hahahahah….too….funny….gasp..hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah…..Mr. Mayor……..hahahahahah………
Jeeze… even the storefront sign is identical to the Apple Store… I am surprised they didn’t just accidentally put an Apple logo on theirs as well.
Crap! Now I get to see if my iMac looks good with iced tea sprayed all over the front of it.
I wonder who MIcrosoft thinks they’re fooling? It’s sure not going to fool the store’s CASH REGISTERS when, as shown in the video, hardly anybody was waiting in line to actually purchase anything.
Sad really, when MS, whether they realize it or not, is showing that they really don’t have any confidence in the store standing on its own two feet by itself without resorting to transparent marketing gimmicks. Even then they are only attracting bodies, not CUSTOMERS.
Well, give them partial credit for realizing that their pathetic stores *need* transparent marketing gimmicks. As the video made glaringly obvious, without the free concert tickets, the “grand opening” would have been attended by store staff only.
Oh, and probably the mayor. He has to show up on such occasions, it’s part of the job description.
“Is ANYBODY here planning to by anything?!? Anyone at all?!?”
HA!!!
I wonder if the gnomes that MS hires to work the store throws up at the end of the day. You know darn well that in the back of their minds they feel utterly stupid but thankful for the paycheck. Wich is the only good thing MS is bringing to the table.
My laugh of the day!
Biznizz doesn’t get much more PATHETIC than this. 🙄
“i heard a rumor that Steve Ballmer was planning to die”
that’s cold.
Did I really hear that?
Reminds me of this line.
The only way we could get the dog to like him was to tie a porkchop around his neck
Wow, pretty damned embarrassing for MS. Hope someone’s sent the link to this movie to Ballmer.
Just like fishing. You have to hide that painful hook with a bait the fish, uh….. Customer, will bite.
Cue the sad trombone.
How many “journalist” reported on the line outside the MS store and attributed it to excitement about MS products or bothered to even mention it?
I used Safari to download this video on my Mac. I ma going to keep a copy on my iPad to show others.
FUNNY MICROSOFT STORE GRAND OPENING
No body plans to buy anything, they already have iPhones but want free rock concert tickets.
Thanks for explaining the story to us, we couldn’t have worked it out for ourselves without your invaluable help.
So has yours. Go troll someone else
Who in the hell would buy that garbage ??!!
LMAO !!!!