Wow… you heard the plans from Microsoft [MSFT] that they were going to launch a retail store, a la Apple [AAPL], going as far as to woo Apple Retail Store employees, especially managers, from Apple. And with the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft has executed their plan with their first outlet in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Management Perspective
While Apple has the single-source advantage, Microsoft continues to struggle on multiple levels against essentially all challengers. However, today’s Windows 7 launch may help the hardware vendors and VARs to realign on a unified operating system for their products, which have been long fragmented between the XP and Vista platforms for several years. Closing the functionality gap on Apple’s OS X will introduce a degree of uniformity that consumers have been demanding for almost a decade.
Other Pressure
And while having the new retail presence would play an important long-term survivability role for Microsoft, there is that immediate-term pressure from the likes of Google [GOOG] that must be addressed.
N.B.
- Microsoft Retail Store Opening Today (Javamancy mini)
- Windows 7 Released Today (Javamancy mini)
