“Microsoft is beginning to look to Apple for more than just inspiration for its retail stores, the company is now also starting to hire away its retail employees,” Jim Dalrymple reports for The Loop.
“People that have spoken to The Loop on condition of anonymity confirm that Microsoft has contacted a number of Apple’s retail store managers to work in their stores. In addition to ‘significant raises,’ the managers have also been offered moving expenses in some cases,” Dalrymple reports.
MacDailyNews Take: Certainly derivative Microsoft ought to offer “significant raises” for the massive risk such a stupid move would entail. A few years from now, you’ll need an actual store in which to work in order to earn your “‘significant raise.” Microsoft has a history of abandoning things that don’t work. Retail stores packed full of Windows PCs and Zunes do not sound very attractive at all; repellant is more like it. When the time comes, these traitors shouldn’t bother re-applying to Apple.
Dalrymple reports, “Once hired, the ex-Apple employees are then contacting some of the top sales people in the Apple retail organization offering them positions at Microsoft retail.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Who the hell would want to go from proffering delight to peddling dreck? Then dealing with the dissatisfaction, frustration, and problems that Microsoft Windows quickly and inevitably engenders? Any Apple employee that would make such a move was a bad hire and isn’t worth keeping anyway.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Edward W.” for the heads up.]
Top sales people at Apple stores?
Look, I don’t want to say that Apple stores don’t have good sales people. I’m sure there are many great ones. Most of the time, though, if they just stay the hell out of the way they’ll do just fine.
That’s because the products sell themselves.
they can’t find anyone qualified for their stores except for Apple employees? Talk about riding Apple’s coat tails!
a funny article about the Microsoft stores compared to Apple stores…
http://www.derekunderwood.com/uncategorized/5-hot-tips-for-microsoft-and-its-retail-stores/
Microsoft has a long history of hiring away talent from the competition and using them to build competing products – remember Borland? I love Apple and would prefer to work for them than for Microsoft because they make better products.
That being said, I would gladly work at Microsoft if I was in a position to change things. Not that these retail managers will have that opportunity to do that, they are probably being sold on the idea that they can. I am sure they are very convincing, because they believe that the problem at MS is marketing and if they can just get there message out there.
Think about how Microsoft is operating. The either really believe that they are being beat out by Apple’s marketing machine, or they are not very smart and see where they fall short and do nothing about it. I believe it is the later. They are under the belief that they won in the 90’s because they were better and the world is just buying marketing spin. That is the only conclusion I can make – they believe what they are pitching.
Steve Jobs is probably sitting back and thinking – thank God, they still don’t get it. Imagine what would happen if they did get it. They have the resources to say, lets build Windows 8 the right way perhaps atop a Unix core or a completely new OS, built to be secure. They are perfectly positioned to go either way and they have the bulk of the developer base and most of the Corporate world still loyal to them even if the average user hates them, they are to some degree trapped by the developer and corporate world pushing them to windows.
Apple is growing by producing a better experience. They have good marketing and produce quality hardware. But if you set aside software and look only at hardware, the PC world is one good designer away from Parity. There is no technical reason that Microsoft could not create as good of an experience as Apple – it is simply a matter of getting the right talent and people to manage them that understand good design. People talk about a synergy between hardware and software and that has been a traditional strong point for Apple, but with modern computers nearly everyone uses the same few chipsets – Microsoft could do this.
So what if they stopped trying to win by marketing and instead developed the best OS in the world? What if they stopped recruiting retail sells and advertising with little girls and unicorns and instead hired a new team of developers that are not immersed in Microsoft Culture and said you have 2 to 5 years to create the best operating system on earth? What if they realized what an advantage they have in the windows and corporate world and started selling the .NET runtime for Mac and Linux for $20-50 to keep the developers locked into Microsoft, while they offered them the whole Market? What if they realized that they could make as much money selling these runtime systems as they do selling OEM contracts for Windows? With all of Microsoft’s failures, they are still in a perfect position to regain and extend their dominance, and look like a good guy while they buy the time to produce a truly good OS.
It is fun for people that love Apple to lampoon Microsoft’s apparent lack of direction, but Apple probably wishes we would not lampoon them enough that they realize why they are loosing share to Apple. Microsoft is a sleeping giant with enough resources to do things right. They also have a founder that would like to be the rock star that Jobs has become … what if he suddenly sees the light? Apple needs to build market share before the giant awakes, because for all Apple’s success, and awakened Microsoft still has the advantage. It is only their corporate culture that holds them back – not because it is corporate, but because it believes that keeping people tied to Windows is the only way to keep them. It they realize that it does not matter if you dominate the OS market, in the short term, if you are making money, they can turn the ship around. Imagine what would happen if they suddenly released a really cutting edge solid and secure OS that was easy and fun to use? They have the resources to do it if they realize it in time.
I’m not a good liar. If I was an employee, I don’t think I could spin a convincing yarn about how they should buy a PC or a Zune over an Apple product.
I’d either throw up in the middle of the sales pitch or start laughing hysterically.
OOPS – I believe it is the former – lol. Please forgive all my typos!
The only way any new hire at MS would make any difference is if they replaced Monkey Boy Ballmer…and that ain’t gonna happen until he has his massive coronary….it’s going to take a myocardial infarction to get rid of him, and trust me, one is coming the way he acts.
Sadly, some people are just in it for the money.
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I disagree with MDN’s take that these salespeople were bad hires to begin with.
The top 5% of sales people, in any given sales environment, earn 90% of the income collectively.
Any company is thrilled to have that kind of talent on their staff.
Sometimes though, salespeople can be lured away with the promise of more cash, better benefits, etc.
There is such a thing as diplomacy, and as long as they deploy it tactfully on their way out the door, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to leave the door open for the possibility of a future return.
I don’t know why you people think that Apple is not paying the people enough. If an employee agrees to work for a certain wage and it is above the government proscribed minimum wage, then I see no problem. I dont see how Apple is taking advantage of anyone by offering them a good job in a great environment. The market will dictate the wage. As one person above said, he was offered and turned down the job.Thats great, since he realized that he needed more money. He moved on. If I could make 50K a year working retail in the Apple store, you bet your arse I would, and there would be millions of people lined up behind me to get that job too. But, that aint gonna happen. And if you think that just because you have an education and computer knowledge you should get a huge salary, no matter what the position then you are in for a rude awakening.
M$’s strategy is to place their stores next to the food court and open a restaurant called Ballmer’s Barbeque. The lines from the
Guru bar will be a boon for all the restaurants.
MS may have the resources to do things right and while there are certainly very intelligent people working at MS, as a corporation they simply do not have the intelligence or the leadership to do it right. A company can’t do things right when their CEO is a buffoon.
@papasmack
50k a year is $25 per hour. If someone is educated and knows a lot about macs, they should get at least $15 per hr. They get paid less than that. education and mac knowledge should get you much more than min wage
I couldn’t work for Microsoft or support Windows. Friends and family don’t understand this- always felt my options were limited by being a Mac-fanatic- loving Support Specialist. I’ve worked jobs that paid more but literally drove me to drink, as I felt no passion or pupose in doing what I did. People who switch to Microsoft weren’t Apple fans to begin with. I’ve worked with Mac “consultants” who’ve told me they could care less about Apple or even Microsoft- would support Linux if there was any money in it. I also know a lot of people who’ve invested in netbook. All of these people- I simply cannot relate to. Why does one even consider buying a PC?- unless they’re completely and utterly ignorant of the Macintosh experience. Most Mac users have had a chance to compare- PC users are generally sheep or lemmings who have no idea how much better it can be.
Earlier this year, I cut off discussions with a potential employer that was courting me with a six figure position, and I turned it down, because it wasn’t enough money.
Some of us aim higher, and those of us who do, are often worth it. I certainly am, and I’m at a place now that is paying me what I’m worth.
Apple is behind it. It’s the quickest way to root out employees with the wrong motivation. If they don’t love what they’re doing and only love the money, good riddance.
Ballmer is like the kid brother who steals his big brother’s football jersey to wear to his middle school classes. Get a grip, Microsoft!
Working at an Apple store is not a career. It’s a valuable step in a career. Apple employees, of necessity learn quickly an enormous amount about good computers, state-of-the-art operating systems, selling great products in a great environment. They are immersed in a learning experience. I would be greatly surprised if many of them to not make positive career moves after a year or two to much better positions. Taking their increased knowledge and skills with them and becoming more highly skilled workers in a variety of fields.
Let ‘dem bitches go to MS. Anyone considering a jump hip like that doesn’t deserve to carry the badge. have fun at MS and hope the store don’t close down after a few months.
@Bobby Skinner
You need to spend some time on Twitter before you write your next thesis.
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On the positive side, at least you broke things into paragraphs. Too many long-winded commenters don’t understand such a basic concept.
The headline appears reasonable BUT imagine instead “Apple attempting to poach Microsoft retail staff” – HA, now that would be a headline to behold
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Come on MDN, you should not be giving “career advice” to Apple Store employees. If Microsoft is willing to offer more compensation and better benefits, Apple Store employees should individually consider their options; I’m sure they are smart enough to do that…
Apple may also want to increase their compensation and benefits, if they want to retain their best retail employees. So from the employees perspective, Microsoft (or any other company) wanting to hire them is a good thing, whether they take the job offer or not.