Can Microsoft retail succeed where others have failed? | Coop's Corner - CNET News

Can Microsoft retail succeed where others have failed? | Coop's Corner - CNET News: "Can Microsoft retail succeed where others have failed?"

Is it just me or is MS marketing becoming a shadow of Apple? Looks at these:

itunes begat zune
Apple store begat MStore
Apple adds begat (failed) MS ads

Jobs and co. are masterful marketers. MS seems better at IBM style corporate organization but does a terrible job of retail.

The issue is not just ads. The issues is products. For the non Apple infested, very few of the claims Apple makes to innovation are true. MS has pioneered many more new products. Look here:

pen computing ... Palm, HP, Compac
direct user to computer interface .. MS with Radio Shack
Powerpoint MS
notebooks .. anybody but apple

Even the iPOD was not invented at Cupertino, just packaged awfully well.

So here is my question ...

Exactly what will these MS stores sell? I do not mean product, I mean image. The Apple Stores sell an experience. They are as clubby as Playboy Clubs .."Hello, I am your Apple Guru" vs, :"Hello, I am Bunnie Judy." same old, same old.

I find it hard to imagine that the MS image is as marketable as the turtle necks Jobs wears. Who wants to be Steve Balmer?

beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.