Microsoft Store

Today we paid a visit to the new Microsoft Store at the Scottsdale Fashion Square. We had never been to the Fashion Square and found it to be a VERY upscale mall. It's so upscale that they don't even call it all mall! Upon walking into the Microsoft Store my first thought was that I was in an Apple Store! Microsoft has basically copied an Apple Store. The layout is the same (although the Microsoft Store was a little bigger). The workers were dressed in the same colored t-shirts and had the same style name badges as in the Apple Store. They copied the Apple Genius Bar with their help desk. It even had a display showing appointments like the Genius Bar. They did have something different, large screens set up on tables that highlighted Microsoft's touch gesture technology using their Virtual Earth (think Google Earth) program. Very cool! But Apple had the same technology on the iPhone almost 2 1/2 years ago.

Disclaimer: OK, I'll admit it - I'm an "Apple bigot." :-)

The new Microsoft Store at the Scottsdale Fashion Square.