Apple, meet Microsoft, your new mall-mate. Oh, you already know each other? Awkward...

When I was in school, my business Professor asked me, 'If you lived on the beach, and in the middle of that beach, there was a hotdog stand that had a line-up of consumers 50-yards long every day...where would you put your hotdog stand to cash in on his market?'

Interesting question. I thought about it for a minute, mostly wondering if my beach-bum-self would be more like Tom Hanks in Castaway or Matthew McConaughey in, well, real life. Then I said, 'I wouldn't open a hotdog stand,' which, of course, made my teacher's lip furl, eyebrows cringe, and nostrils flare, 'I would open a water stand. I mean, have you even seen a hotdog eating contest? They're on a ratio of like 1 dog to 1 glass of water, easy!'

The correct answer was mine. But it was also to open a stand right beside the other guy - not down the road, not on another beach, right beside the poor guy who busted his butt and took the risk to create a market of hotdog eaters on a beach somewhere. This would create competition and, more importantly, give consumers an option.

I think someone at Microsoft had the same Professor.

The new Microsoft store will open in the Mall of America in Minneapolis and sit directly opposite the Apple store. One of the few store-fronts that Microsoft has in market, this one looks to be twice as big as their Apple rivals across the hall. With other Microsoft stores, they make no secret about trying to steal and copy Apple's strategies, and have even included their own version of the Genius Bar, called the Answer Desk.

Some might call this move cheap. I think it will keep Apple on their toes, and should result in a battle of best customer service between the two. Plus, if you're an Apple employee and you ever go bananas, you could have a job waiting for you right across the hall. ~ p




(Source: http://www.electronista.com)