What will they be selling?

Over priced faulty software?

A Zune HD media thing and erm, what else?

This will fail

Drop in store

I can see them having queues of people outside. People wanting a refund for their faulty software or just people wanting "support" on products.

Seriously, what will they be selling?

The irony

If anti poaching agreements (Apple/Google) are bad, then poaching must be bad. So then Apple must be the badass here, and Microsoft the knight in shiny armour.

Very strange.

/Evul Steve, because he's the flippen PoD.

Does that mean Microsoft stores won't take money either?

I tried to shop in the Apple store Kingston recently. Picked various items off display and looked around for someone to pay. Gave up and left after 5 mins since there was no sign of anyone taking money anywhere. Payment desks aren't cool I guess.

Why would Microsoft want to copy these muppets.

And...

And if this goes like usual MS (OK, capitalist) modus operandi and they kill the Apple stores, they then switch to treating the employees and customers like Wal-Mart does theirs. Nothing new there.

Good luck to them!

If Microsoft want a load of "edgy" ( polite term! ) looking, spotty herberts trying to sell their kit, then bloody good luck to 'em!

The only reason Apple stores work is 'cos Apple only have about 4 models of desktop to choose from, you hardly need a degree from MIT to work out what combo the customer has just brought in to the Apple store....meanwhile MS will have to deal with a billion different fun combos of PC and laptop hardware. Let's see BTEC Gary deal with that mess of botched up software and hardware that Mr and Mrs Average have just brought in, that little Johnny broke last week!

Oh sorry of course MS will simply do what all software companies do, "Sorry it's a hardware fault, better call XYZ and report it as a hardware fault. Sorry!"

Imitation?

"We asked Microsoft to comment on this story, but at time of writing it hadn't got back to us."

That's more than imitation, it's mimetism!

Oh Joy!

Does this mean that the MSFT stores will be staffed with only the most cynical and mercenary ex-apple store employees whose loyalty can be bought?

Hey Reg? Considering how Bill's off saving Africa these days, maybe we can replace his icons with ones for Ballmer, who actually IS making these boneheaded moves? Maybe just a sweaty howler monkey...

Failtastic!

That is all

Not against the law, I suppose

And common sense too, I suppose.

The question that comes to my mind, is however, is there any demand, among competitors, to hire Microsoft staff.

Par for the course for Microsoft

This is standard type of behaviour for Microsoft. I remember years ago when Borland (remember them) had a developers conference for dBase developers Microsoft organised a bus to go out to the front of the convention center to take the developers attending the Borland conference to a 'secret' Microsoft FoxBase session.

It's the sort of way they work and one of the reasons why people think they way they do about Microsoft... hint - not nicely.

It'll be great...

For these people getting better wages, at least for the first year. After which point they close the stores because of dismal sales.

Microsoft simply doesn't have the same consumer/customer credibility that Apple does.

PLEASE NO!!!!

Not those happy clappy idiots!!

Meh

That's the sales business though - I used to work in retail sales about ten years ago, (ashamed to say I even worked for Tiny); people yo-yo between the retailers, especially the managers.

Sales people go where the money is.

why not?

Well, if you steal most of the ideas, why not go the whole hog and nick the people at the same time?

For personal reasons, I cannot give any details, but I've seen Microsoft do this before.

They would sell their own mothers if it meant keeping the monopoly alive and well.

OK Reg, enough kidding now, give us an evil Ballmer icon instead of that of the pensioner.

deja vu

this sort of desperate behavior was observed a few years back with Real against the growing popularity of the ipods/iTunes.

we all know the end result.

microsoft is showing signs of "chronicle" desperation.

@ Mark C Casey

"Microsoft simply doesn't have the same consumer/customer credibility that Apple does."

I'm sure you meant to say brain washed idiots who buy anything shiney?

Apple doesn't have any more credibility whith their fan base, (after all, they're not consumers anymore, they're fans), than say Gucci or Nike - gone are the days of decent processors and real innovation, now it's dollar bills and bling.