Microsoft Retail Store Plans Leaked

Ever since Microsoft announced they would be opening a chain of Microsoft stores we’ve been wondering how bad the stores are going to be. Well, according to a PowerPoint presentation which was leaked to Gizmodo, its not too bad. In fact it makes the Apple store seem boring.

The presentation is by Lippicott, a "design and brand strategy" consultant firm with extensive retail experience that it appears Microsoft has hired to help develop the store's concept, principles, and design. The presentation seems legitimate; and if its fake I congratulate the creator.

Microsoft will be taking the best things from the Apple store the Sony store and other retail outlets and bringing them all together in the Microsoft store. The main focuses are going to be Windows 7, Xbox, PCTV (Windows Media Center) Surface and Windows Mobile.

Here are some highlights of the slideshow:

•There's going to be a Digital Media Wall--a massive screen--that wraps around the entire store, which you can see in some of the slides
• Lots of Surface demos
• Stage areas for Windows 7, Windows Media Center (PCTV), Windows Mobile and netbooks
• Their take on the Genius Bar is the Answers Bar (or Guru Bar, depending on which slide you look at, showing it's slightly up in the air, though we prefer Answers Bar since its sounds like slightly less of a Genius Bar ripoff)
• They're already planning out huge demos and events around Project Natal and their secret mobile project Pink
• A fancy Microsoft shopping bag
• You can pay to have your birthday party at the Microsoft Store.

You can check out the slides below:

Microsoft Opening Retail Stores Beside Apple Stores

Microsoft has acknowledged that Apples retail stores is a huge threat to Microsoft's business. Microsoft COO Kevin Turner announced that this fall, Microsoft will launch a chain of retail stores, which will be located right next door Apple stores.

And stay tuned, because we're going to have some retail stores opened up that are opened up right next door to Apple stores this fall. Stay tuned, just stay tuned. – Microsoft COO Kevin Turner

 

There are no details about the actual strategy except that it will start happening this fall. I can't wait. I love this kind of war.

Apple Bashes Windows 7, While Talking Snow Leopard

While Microsoft tries to reinvent Windows with their next operating system, Windows 7 Apple has characterised it as “the same old Windows”.

In a keynote speech at the Worldwide Developer Conference Apples Bertrand Serlet said that Windows 7 contained the same complexities of previous versions of Windows.

“Fundamentally it is just another Windows Vista” – Bertrand Serlet

Serlet tried to draw a contrast between Windows and what Apple is doing with Snow Leopard, the next version of its own operating system. "We've come at it from such a different place."

Apples goal with Snow Leopard is to make a “better Leopard”

There are similarities between what Apple's and Microsoft's efforts. Among the new features in Snow Leopard is a feature that adds the Expose window--previewing feature to the Dock--not unlike the Aero Peek feature that Windows 7 has as part of its new task bar.

In all fairness Windows 7 and Snow Leopard are very different Operating Systems.

Windows 7 is largely focused on improving the look, perception and core of the Vista engine, while Snow Leopard is more focused on improving the core.

Apple is also trying to improve Windows compatibility by adding Microsoft Exchange support in Snow Leopard. According to Apple all the user needs to type their e-mail address and password and Snow Leopard will auto detect the exchange server.

Status of Mac vs. PC battle: PC is Winning

Apple may have one of the most interesting and longest running ad campaigns in history, but it seems like Microsoft’s young Laptop Hunters ads are winning according to Brand Index.

The Laptop Hunter ads show regular people trying to find the perfect laptop within a certain price point and naturally the Laptop they choose is a PC. 

Based on daily interviews of 5,000 people, BrandIndex found the age group gave Apple its highest rating in late winter, when it notched a value score of 70 on a scale of -100 to 100 (a score of zero means that people are giving equal amounts of positive and negative feedback about a brand). But its score began to fall shortly after and, despite brief rallies, hovers around 12.4 today.

"It would be very unusual for Microsoft's score to be increasing this much and Apple's to be decreasing without some sort of event driving that, like a major campaign that's particularly successful," said Mr. Marzilli.

Microsoft gave credit the strong PC market, despite the recession, to the great success of the ad campaign. Microsoft said there was a 10% preference of Windows due to the ad campaign.

The Truth About Windows Security

For a few years now, people have been discussing which Operating System is the most secure. Microsoft says that Windows is most secure, Apple says OSX is more secure.

I did some digging around the internet to find out which is most secure. I found a interview with a hacker that a news organization did:

Question: Why do you do what you do

Answer: The Money

Question: What Operating System do you create viruses for the most

Answer: Of course Windows

Question: Why do you create viruses for Windows more than OSX

Answer: It is obvious. 90% of computers run Windows, therefore I can make much more money by creating viruses for Windows. Its common sense

Question: Have you also created viruses for OSX

Answer: Yes, but I have not released it into the wild

Question: What Operating System is easiest to create viruses for

Answer: I have no doubt that it’s OSX. OSX is very easy to hack. Windows and Linux is extremely hard to hack but Windows is harder.

Question: If it is easy to hack OSX why not create viruses for OSX

Answer: Because it brings in less income than Windows

Question: How is OSX so easy to hack

Answer: 1. The security is just awful, and for some reason Apple thinks it is so great.

2. People who use OSX are not that smart. They think that because they use OSX they can do anything on the net, which is not true. Mac users are to trusting.

Question: Do you think an OSX “super virus” is in the near future

Answer: Yes

It’s official, it seems like Windows is more secure. I'm not too surprised that this hacker said that OSX is easier to hack than Windows because, for years now several test’s have proved it.

Louis

May 12

Note: Any opinion expressed are not those of The Unofficial Windows Blog

Microsoft Releases New Laptop Hunter Ads

Today, Microsoft released a new new ad, as part of their very successful laptop hunter ad campaign. Sheila is the star of the ad. She was looking for a computer with

• A fast processor
• Big Screen
• Something that will “cut” video

For under $2000.00

This ad was designed to attack Apple’s Mac’s by pointing out the high cost of it. Microsoft made sure of pointing out that a relatively weak Mac cost over $2000 while a powerful PC sells for less than $2000. Surprisingly Mac users have not had much to say about this latest ad campaign.

Take a look at the ad:

Also take a look at some other ads: Laptop Hunters The Windows Ads you never saw

Omar Hoolgs

Vista/7 More Secure than OSX and Linux

Security is always a highlycontended subject, and last week Microsoft claimed that Windows Vista and Windows  7 is the world’s most secure OS, beating both Linux and Mac OS X.

Here’s what Microsoft’s chief operating officer Kevin Turner had said

 

Vista today, post-Service Pack 2, which is now in the marketplace, is the safest, most reliable OS we’ve ever built. It’s also the most secure OS on the planet, including Linux and open source and Apple Leopard. It’s the safest and most secure OS on the planet today. Everything that we’ve learned in Vista will be leveraged in Windows 7, but certainly when we broke a lot of the compatibility issues to lock down user account controls, to lock down the ability to manipulate states and all the things, that was a very painful process for us to grow through, but we had to do it. And the reason that Windows 7 will be successful is because of the pain we took on Vista. Because from a compatibility standpoint, if it works on Vista, it will work on Windows 7. If it doesn’t work on Vista, it won’t work on Windows 7.

 

The My OS is better then yours is pointless and benefits nobody.

As a Windows user I can’t help but believe that Windows is more secure than any other OS but the facts actually prove that Windows is really more secure than any other OS. Intact almost all tests agree with Kevin Turner and I. The only reason Windows has so many viruses is because most people use Windows, therefore virus makers can make much more money off infected PC’s. If you don’t agree here is a analogy I made:

If you had the choice to rob a house with only $1 in it with all the doors unlocked, or the choice of a house with a $1,000,000 in it with tight security which would you choose. The average guy with common sense would pick the second one. Windows would be the house with $1,000,000 and OSX & Linux would be the first choice.

Tripp Zao

April 23 2009

Microsoft Punches Apple’s ads back with Laptop Hunters

Microsoft latest attack ad’s agents apple are called Laptop Hunters. These 3 ads feature 4 people hunting for a laptop below a certain price. Of course

they all complain about the prices of Mac’s. Most people say that this ad campaign actually got them to switch back to Windows; it turned out that Microsoft can get something right.

CNBC has Lost it's Mind

Regular, non computer geeks, are very confused enough about buying a Mac or PC so CNBC decided to clear things up by breaking the true cost of Mac and PC ownership. Wait, I did not know that Mac’s had battery that lasted all day.

According to CNBC Silicon Valley Bureau Chief (a ridiculous title) PC’s need many more things to perform as well as Mac’s such as:

 

Product:	Price:	The Truth:
Norton Anti-Virus	$50 Year	I got Norton Internet Security for $30 from Canada Computers.All OS’S need Anti-Virus software.
Multimedia Software	$80-$104	What the hell is he talking about, Windows Media Center has all the multimedia you need.
Photoshop	$140	Only professional photo editors need it. The average user only Needs Photo Gallery.
Video Editing	$100	Comes with Windows
Music Software	$100	Why would you need music software. Windows Media Player has all you need.
Geek Squad Visit	$129	Most Mac’s and PC’s will need to visit Geek Squad

He also said Mac’s get 6x the battery life (not true) faster processors (not true) and higher screen resolutions (not true).

Last time I checked you could get very decent anti-virus software for free, Mac’s don’t come with Photoshop or endless battery, and iTunes is free and OSX and Windows. There are very decent free photo editing software on Windows  like Google’s Picasa and is just as good or better than iPhoto. It’s finny how he forgot to mention how Windows Live is 100% free and Apple’s Mobile Me (the Windows Live equivalent) charges $100 a year.

There are reasons not to get a PC like there are valid reasons not to get a Mac. But this guy is on a news program as a reporter and the public will believe most things the news tells them, if he’s going to go on TV and tell people why Mac’s are better than PC’s go ahead, but he should know what he’s talking about. I hope this guy gets fired and has to wash is mouth out with soap. :)

Mac’s have a battery that last all day, C’mon guy!!