Microsoft's first retail presence a great show of what's possible when screens are planned in from the start

October 22, 2009 by Dave Haynes

 

Say what you want about Microsoft products, and perhaps how its new retail presence seems oddly similar to Apple’s stores. But you have to admit it is very, very nice to see a retailer go this hard with its digital signage efforts and pull something off we will all useas a positive reference case on the possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9Hk0ZCqRxg 

I think it is MTI’s Jason Goldberg shooting and posting the video (he Tweeted about it) of the store opening in Scottsdale, AZ today, timed to coincide with the launch of Windows 7. 

Somewhat crazily, the image I could easily find about the opening today was from a site called Apple Insider.

 

The best I could do from the Microsoft folks is a photo involving someone named Ashley Tisdale, who if we could include word bubbles would be saying, ‘You can’t, like, be serious about someone buying a laptop that is red with like, zebra stripes. Eeeew. Like WTF?”

UPDATE: Gizmodo has more snappies now 

 

Microsoft has also not released any technical detail on what’s all involved with the screens, but it is clearly one of the most ambitious uses of digital signage yet seen in a relatively small retail setting. You could quibble about the bezel seams and color matching looking not quite right, but far more to the point is how this shows what’s possible when screens are integral to the store plan and not a bolt-on.

Another store opens in Mission Viejo, CA. next week.  

Nice job, Jason.

Leave a comment