Nilay,

Excellent article. Side loading has its own challenges. Who vets the applications to ensure there are no security issues being cause by them? How would we download, install, and manage them?

Having a centrally managed storefront, while useful in its own way, has other problems. I am not that naive that Apple is thinking that they have only 2 people approving apps? If thats the case, how were they able to get 65,000 apps approved? Something's not clean in the water in Cupertino.

Windows Mobile is an excellent example of side loading apps. In theory it sounds good. My experience using my HTC 8125 was frustrating at the lack of finding one place to purchase reliable applications, utilities, and being able to easily install them. I gladly gave up my Windows Mobile phone, because it lacked the ease of use, application accessibility, and costs to make it worth sticking around for. I didn't appreciate having to upgrade my device to get the latest OS, having to hack it run A2DP bluetooth audio, not having MMS, or having applications randomly crash on me.

I am, have been, and always will be a Mac user, but this is ridiculous. if Apple truly is the purveyor of innovation, then it should put its money where its mouth is.

Its clearly obvious that the apps in question infringe on Apple's own propietary apps, which Apple is trying to monopolize.

Bowing to AT&T and preventing full functionality of other apps becasue of bandwidth issues is clearly AT&T's and Apple's fault for false advertising. I don't think that Verizon could handle 10 million datacentric users either. No telecom company can.

The FCC should require all wireless companies and hardware makers accountable that any program running is ultimately designed to provide the best value and most secure environment available. It doesn't require any additional man power, just public posting of information.

Let me decide if I want to Skype Out, Google Voice or use what came with the hardware. It works for the rest of the computing industry.

@ Ricardo Rivera

Radio Shack has always been about pushing extended warranties and selling useless accessories. The electronics sold there provide little if any discernable type of competitive features that are available from other retailers.

Regarding knowledge, I have had to school the employees on what an e-SATA port was, the difference between integrated and dedicated graphics cards, and the different types of flash memory out there. This is not new technology we're talking about.

The stores I've gone to and been pounced are North Hills, Northridge, Long Beach, and Downtown LA.

I am less than impressed at The Knowledge, The Service, and The Merchandise selections.

The layout looks promising but the usage of display technology that isn't available to consumers is strange. How do they translate the usage of Surface hardware/software into something comercially available now? Why not use HP's line of touchsmart PC's or laptops?

If the MS Stores' answer guys are like any tech support guys, then the whole concept will tank. IT guys are not customer service oriented.

To be fair, neither are the Apple Geniuses. They come off as smug, condescending, and act like they're doing you a favor. At least that's been my experience at the Glendale Galleria, The Grove, and Manhattan Village.

.

Great. Now Microsoft won't be alienating one segment that it already crapped on, but two.

First they screw over all Windows based mp3 hardware manufacturers by pushing the Zune and a propietary marketplace.

Now they want to do the same to Windows Mobile.

Then they wonder why they're doing so badly.

Dear Daniel,

In the case of trademark protection, the other companies in question bear no resemblence, nor do they produce the same type of overpriced, overhyped, and unreliable equipment as Monster Cable. If they did, you would have a leg to stand on.

If you're so interested in protecting your name and being ethical, why are you based as a holding company in Bermuda? I would be interested to see why you would like to avoid paying taxes like all these other American based companies you are going after.

Ha, this is funny!

I remember the Circuit City store in Glendale, CA was trying to sell me a $100 HDMI cable insisting it was better and necessary for a HDTV. I got pissed at them and told them to suck it and that I could purchase it for $20 online or at Fry's. That poor sales guy was so intent on selling the POS cable though...

We haven't seen specs yet, so we can't really say the machine will or will not perform better than anything Apple, Dell, or any other workstation vendor offers.

Based on my previous research of Dell and HP workstations, PC vendors might start at the low end, but they do mark up everything you add on, so a $2,000 machine, when equipped in the same manner as a basic Mac Pro model, might end up costing twice as much. Inversely speaking, Macs tend to mark up their add-ons by at least 25%. So you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.

I do look forward to a comparo by Engadget or any other site.

Hehehe,

Paul Chapel is right and that's what makes everyone pissed. Even if this is a concept to see how MS would institute new retail initiatives, in itself it fails because of the lack of synergy. The only useful tool is Microsoft Surface, which the average retail user has no clue exists.

All their existing retail outlets don't have fully functioning PC's. By that I mean, what are the basic specifications of what you're buying, what software is included, and is the display fully functioning. I have gone to Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot, Staples, and local retailers only to find very little technical specification information on the display at hand. That and the damn machine can't even surf the web. I ask for info from a sales associate and I'm lucky to find the price.

If you go to a telecom for smartphones, none of the vendors have functioning smartphones. They want you to put down $300 for a smartphone that you can't touch, take for a spin, or see what it can do. The sales associates have a s**t fit when you ask to try out theirs. I had that experience when I tried out a HTC/Cingular 8125.

The only place I see functioning displays is at Target, Wal-Mart, and GameStop for the XBox 360. I remember when the Zune came out, the display at the Wherehouse wasn't working. Yeah I've read ad nauseum on the specs, and what it can do, but I wan to try it ou.


This is a great underutilization of the Surface PC. The shopping cart is a waste. They should use the Surface PC to have people pull up items from a stockroom or sales floor and walk people through their PC, accessory, or software purchase. Use it as a concierge.

HP already beat MS in using touch based technology, although my recent test drive at Fry's was less than engaging. The cursor was not calibrated correctly.


The bottom line is if Microsoft is serious about the retail experience, they should start thinking about selling fully functioning displays, and providing as much technical info as possible. The should go for a walk to the nearest Best Buy and that will give them a clue as to the "real world retail expereience" and not this BS.

I like the design. The rounded corners keep it from looking to chunky, like the iPhone.

I wouldn't call this an iPhone killer. They keep calling every new smartphone an iPhone killer (BB Storm, Tmobile G1, anything by WinMo) , every new music store an iTunes killer (amazon mp3 store, Napster, Yahoo Music!?!) , every new mp3 player an iPod killer ( remember the Zune, Toshiba Gigabeat, anything by Cowon) It's funny when people jump the gun and make remarks like this.

I would call this a Windows Mobile killer, as Microsoft has been the only company to not push out any upgrades to their phones. Microsoft might have the largest network of electronics providers, but they are all veering away from the stale Windows design. Blackberry has the business/prosumer corner of the market, Apple the general consumer, and TMobile/Android the tech savvy crowd. If anything Palm will eat up whatever Microsoft has leftover.

hmmm, if these are anything like what v-moda has been selling, you definitely aren't going to be paying for quality and durability. If these pair of headphones were a car, it'd be a Caddy, brokedown but looking good.