How much is this MS deciding they’re really not a consumer brand - but rather one focused on cloud and enterprises?
Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
11–20 of 290 posts
Re: Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
#12I think the stores were always about building the Surface brand and relaunching the Windows & Office brand.
Demonstrating touch interfaces in the COVID world simply isn't going to work anymore. The cloud has won, COVID killed prem.
Mission Accomplished! Was it profitable? Doesn't matter.
Re: Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
#13These stores always seemed like a desperate attempt to copy apple. Which would be fine if they had product lines that were interesting. But they don't.
Apple has like 5 producs.That's it. Microsoft probably has more. However,for MS user it's a console, a PC,or laptop,while for Apple fans it's The Apple. Hence the difference in brick and mortar stores.
Re: Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
#14While I am not surprised, I am disappointed by this. Only because of the state of tech stores in Boston, if I needed something that wasn't Apple (gaming mostly) they were the only other tech store I could reasonably walk or take the train too. Microcenter isn't super close to a train station.
Congregating near Apple stores helped too. If the Apple stores were too busy I’d swing by the MS store. They actually had good product and presented them well.
I also liked that their staff seemed more like regular kids rather than “cool” kids, but maybe it’s a misreading.
Re: Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
#15I think the stores were always about building the Surface brand and relaunching the Windows & Office brand. Demonstrating touch interfaces in the COVID world simply isn't going to work anymore. The cloud has won, COVID killed prem. Mission Accomplished! Was it profitable? Doesn't matter.
it might be related to covid, but I fail to see how touch interfaces are problematic for the store, people (and regulations) don't care anymore.
Re: Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
#16I think one point people are missing:
Apple stores, even if they exist mainly to promote the brand, are MASSIVELY profitable. In fact, they are one of the most profitable store chains in the world. By contract, I believe that Microsoft was always running most of their stores at a loss. Even for a massive company like Microsoft, continuously running an unprofitable division is hard to maintain.
Re: Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
#17I'm bummed about that. The store was nice but no where near as full as Apple's. They did a number of things for the community there. They held training classes for kids etc. I'm sad to hear them leave.
Re: Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
#18These stores always seemed like a desperate attempt to copy apple. Which would be fine if they had product lines that were interesting. But they don't.
The surface product lines generates a lot of interest.
Apparently not enough to offset the costs of dealing with retail problems and customer service. Much easier to sit back and collect rent on software.
Re: Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
#19I think the stores were always about building the Surface brand and relaunching the Windows & Office brand. Demonstrating touch interfaces in the COVID world simply isn't going to work anymore. The cloud has won, COVID killed prem. Mission Accomplished! Was it profitable? Doesn't matter.
it might be related to covid, but I fail to see how touch interfaces are problematic for the store, people (and regulations) don't care anymore.
For now. Given the sharp rise in US cases, they will care soon.
Re: Microsoft to permanently close its retail stores
#20A lot of people mention that the MS stores were a 'brand image' or 'marketing' front, but if that's the case, I can see why they closed. The three or four I visited were very near an Apple Store, and while the Apple Store across the way was always bustling and had people standing around with their Apple devices even outside the store front (I guess waiting for Genius appointments)... the Microsoft stores were always sparsely populated with maybe 5-10 brightly colored shirt employees and one or two customers.