Microsoft Store Success Requires Bolder Moves

And you know what? This load-it-with-junk business model often succeeds, because it creates exactly the sort of unreliable and cryptic environment that makes people feel helpless around computers. The big retail stores are even taking advantage of this and now want you to pay to clean off much of this trialware even before it leaves the store. It's the ultimate protection racket.

It's not just software that causes the annoyance, though. Intel pays the hardware makers to put little "Intel Inside" stickers on the hardware that prove to everyone that you made a decision that got Intel some money and let it put a sticker on the box so you wouldn't forget about it. If you prefer to not have those ugly stickers on your box, though, you'll find out how hard they are to remove without scratching your brand-new PC, and they leave adhesive behind.

None of that miserable experience benefits Microsoft. Consumers come away from the big-box stores feeling confused, screwed, or both, but there's nothing Microsoft can do about it. These aren't really Microsoft's customers, they're "owned" by HP or Sony and "serviced" by Best Buy. Yet when they boot the computer and the Windows logo comes up on the screen, you can bet some of that miserable experience rubs off on Microsoft.

So if I was in charge of Microsoft Retail Stores, the first thing I'd do is create about a half-dozen of the best darn Windows hardware and configurations on the face of the planet. They wouldn't be available anywhere else but those stores. There would be no trialware or other junk on these setups. The out-of-box experience should be quick and make people happy they bought from the Microsoft store and not from some big-box discount place.

When people buy from the Microsoft store, they should feel like they bought the product from Microsoft. If hardware makers don't want to cooperate, I don't think it's out of the question that Microsoft could create its own brand-name computers. It needs to do whatever it takes to ensure the customer gets a good experience.

Clearly it's not a good idea for Microsoft to open dozens of stores yet; that should wait until it gets the formula down and determines what these stores really want to be. But in the meantime, Apple will enjoy success with its 300-plus stores and move into new markets like Moscow. Microsoft needs to stop letting other people sell its products poorly, and show that it can sell its own products well.

Recommended Reading: Gartner: Microsoft MIA In Tablets Through 2015 Microsoft's IE9 Unlocks HTML5 Microsoft Could Lose More Than Consumer Market To Tablets Windows 8 May Feature Tablet-Friendly UI Microsoft Needs Tech, Not Torts, To Beat Google Microsoft Wins A Botnet Battle See more by Dave Methvin