(Peter Power /The Globe and Mail)
Microsoft Corp has recently opened a new retail store in Toronto. To differentiate their experience to the customers they have decided to make their entire store touch- sensitive, placing massive touch screens along the walls of the store. This is, as the article states, the strategy that many companies have also done such as Samsung and Apple.
Microsoft is merely trying to emulate the success Apple has had with their physical stores. If they want to take a bite out of Apple’s market share, then they will need to do something different. The store designs seem to copy Apple’s and adding big comfy chairs is not the differentiator that will enable Microsoft to beat Apple. Although Microsoft does not yet have the full line of sexy products that Apple have (iPhone, iPad, iPod, Macs, etc), Microsoft is now waking up to the opportunity presented by mobile devices (tablets, phones, etc) and the cloud. Windows 8, their new operating system is all about mobile devices and cloud computing. They are finally starting to develop products (Surface, Kinect, etc) that may begin to compete with Apple, but the question now is it too late to catch up with Apple? The other differentiator is that the Microsoft will partner with other vendors and carry products from Lenovo, Acer, HP, Dell, etc