Comparing Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry Retail Stores

**JPMorgan_** · 06-07-2012, 12:48 PM

Comparing Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry Retail Stores

A look inside Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry brick-and-mortar stores provides insight into the three technology companies' retail strategies and target audiences.

This week Research In Motion (RIM) opened a brand new BlackBerry retail store in Bangalore, India, where the BlackBerry brand is alive and well. The Bangalore location is RIM's third BlackBerry store in India, and the company plans to open another dozen Indian retail shops by the end of 2012. (In the United States, RIM has just one standalone BlackBerry store in Farmington Hills, Mich., about 25 miles outside of Detroit, and a number of BlackBerry branded kiosks in airports across America.)
Microsoft opened its first brick-and-mortar retail store in October 2009 in Scottsdale, Ariz., and it now has 18 total stores open across the United States, with another half dozen "coming soon," according to the company's website.
I bet you've been to an Apple store—or five—before. They're everywhere. Apple has stores in 45 of the 50 states and in the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Italy, Australia, China, Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, Hong Kong and the Netherlands.
To accurately compare the looks and feels of these three tech giants' retail stores, I tried to find shops in similar, shopping-mall-like areas. Each of the stores pictured are in very different markets, and therefore cater to different audiences, but the images are telling. Products aside, which store would you be more likely to shop in, based on appearance alone? Microsoft has my vote.

Comparing Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry Retail Stores | CIO Blogs

**Laura Knotek** · 06-07-2012, 01:02 PM

I agree with the author. The Microsoft store has the most appealing look to me.

**avt123** · 06-07-2012, 01:13 PM

The Apple and Microsoft stores look the best IMO. They look much more organized. I'm not interested in what's on the walls or the color of the room, that doesn't matter to me. I just care about what's on the shelves/tables.

**Houshinto** · 06-07-2012, 03:36 PM

I think the photos tell more of a story then the actual stores themselves. Great angles for MS and Apple but bad in-store angles for the BB stores really don't give a great comparison.

Anyways it's interesting to see how MS want to take the Apple approach and tweek it to give it more warmth. I hope RIM takes a slightly different approach.

**crkeo** · 06-07-2012, 03:44 PM

I have only been to 1 Apple store on one occasion when I visited the Genius Bar...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahah
hahahahahhaahhahahahahahahha
hahahahahahhahahahahhahahaha

* stop to catch my breath... They call them GENIUS !

hahahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahah
ahahahahhahahhahahahahhahahahagh
hahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahhaha
hahahahhahhahahahhahahahhahah

WHat was the question again ? O.o

**daveycrocket** · 06-07-2012, 03:58 PM

I don't see how there is a valid comparison here, for example, yes the ms and apple stores look big spacious but they need the bigger space as they sell computors as well so there would be benches and tables to place laptops on, wouldn't there? Apart from the excellent playbook where is the comparison?

MS don't sell phones so the comparison should be with those that do and how many of those stores are out there?

Many comparisons are being made in this difficult environment it is a great pity that many seem unable to let go of covert agenda's to compare like for like.

In my opinion just another bashing opertunity.

**amazinglygraceless** · 06-07-2012, 04:18 PM

Personally I have always been partial to the Apple stores and the pictures in this article
only serve to reinforce that.

The reason I have always liked the Apple stores is for the reason they are continually knocked:
Sterile look. What some see as sterile I see as clean, uncluttered and uncomplicated. That
appeals to me.

**Moonbase0ne** · 06-07-2012, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by daveycrocket

I don't see how there is a valid comparison here, for example, yes the ms and apple stores look big spacious but they need the bigger space as they sell computors as well so there would be benches and tables to place laptops on, wouldn't there? Apart from the excellent playbook where is the comparison?

MS don't sell phones so the comparison should be with those that do and how many of those stores are out there?

Many comparisons are being made in this difficult environment it is a great pity that many seem unable to let go of covert agenda's to compare like for like.

In my opinion just another bashing opertunity.

From the article: "Products aside, which store would you be more likely to shop in, based on appearance alone?"

I think this is a simple and fair question. Based on the appearance of the stores, not by what they sell or offer.

So, what agenda? Maybe you could say it's a little unfair that he is showing an empty Apple store based on the above quesion, but aside from that, what's the problem? Which store would you prefer to shop in, assuming they all sold the same item that you were looking for? Pretty strait forward and to the point.

**avt123** · 06-07-2012, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by daveycrocket

MS don't sell phones so the comparison should be with those that do and how many of those stores are out there?

I am sure they will have some Windows Phones in there. MS doesn't "sell PCs" either, but they will be in there.

**morganplus8** · 06-07-2012, 05:12 PM

Who cares who has the nicest store if you can't buy the best phone in them!!

I went into the nicest looking Apple store the other day just to see the latest and best BB phones and they were completely out. I'll never go back.

**daveycrocket** · 06-07-2012, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Moonbaseone

From the article: "Products aside, which store would you be more likely to shop in, based on appearance alone?"

I think this is a simple and fair question. Based on the appearance of the stores, not by what they sell or offer.

So, what agenda? Maybe you could say it's a little unfair that he is showing an empty Apple store based on the above quesion, but aside from that, what's the problem? Which store would you prefer to shop in, assuming they all sold the same item that you were looking for? Pretty strait forward and to the point.

I understand your question but my view is that this is like shopping for jewellery in a store that sells cloths as well, as against a jewellery shop.

the problem is simple if you sell cloths as well as jewellery you attract both shoppers and are likely to sell the "other" product as well particularly when they are "matching" accessories. Or same brand etc.
So it seems to me a pointless observation which is my reason to question the motive.
"The design of the store is related to the items being sold" and is about balance and economics.

**daveycrocket** · 06-07-2012, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by avt123

I am sure they will have some Windows Phones in there. MS doesn't "sell PCs" either, but they will be in there.

So why make a comparison when there is none?
And I've seen numerious adds on TV made by MS selling windows 7 PCs, they may not sell the hardware but they need to promote it.

**Moonbase0ne** · 06-07-2012, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by daveycrocket

I understand your question but my view is that this is like shopping for jewellery in a store that sells cloths as well, as against a jewellery shop.

the problem is simple if you sell cloths as well as jewellery you attract both shoppers and are likely to sell the "other" product as well particularly when they are "matching" accessories. Or same brand etc.
So it seems to me a pointless observation which is my reason to question the motive.
"The design of the store is related to the items being sold" and is about balance and economics.

Remember, all stores in this comparison are all selling the item(s) you are shopping for.

So, if you were shopping for a new phone/tablet, which store and/or store front would look the most appealing to you?

Better yet, let's strip the names off all the stores and simply have the design/layout in place, and put on the shelf, no matter how big or small the store is, the items that you are shopping for, and ONLY those items.

The fact that Apple, MS, and RIM sell different yet similiar items is not and should not be part of the equation in this comparison.

**Moonbase0ne** · 06-07-2012, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by morganplus8

Who cares who has the nicest store if you can't buy the best phone in them!!

I went into the nicest looking Apple store the other day just to see the latest and best BB phones and they were completely out. I'll never go back.

Yes, but which store is the nicest, is the point of the article. Not, who sells what and how many they sell, or how nice it is, etc...

Let's strip the names off the stores and empty the shelves. Which store front/layout/design would look the most appealing to you?

**sinsin07** · 06-07-2012, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by daveycrocket

snip...MS don't sell phones so the comparison should be with those that do and how many of those stores are out there?...

Behind the scenes at Microsoft Store

"We sell a lot of products! There's Windows 7, Office 2010, and other software. We carry Windows Phones, Kinect, Xbox, Surface, and more. Plus, we offer a huge choice of PCs from the major vendors in the market. We carry most Microsoft products, and if you need something we don't have in the store—like a server product—we can help you get it."

**avt123** · 06-07-2012, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by daveycrocket

So why make a comparison when there is none?
And I've seen numerious adds on TV made by MS selling windows 7 PCs, they may not sell the hardware but they need to promote it.

I don't know I didn't write the article lol.

**daveycrocket** · 06-09-2012, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by avt123

I don't know I didn't write the article lol.

Hey do we agree.

**Rootbrian** · 06-10-2012, 01:03 AM

I would be very likely to shop in the Blackberry store, or the microsoft store if they had windows selling for dirt-cheap, or the apple store if they had linux DVDs to compliment OSx hackintosh DVDs.

**Mr.Willie** · 06-11-2012, 06:37 PM

I don't know where the author got his information, but there was a MS store in Chicago area in 2003 or 4. Atlanta and Min/ ST Paul airports have real BB stores. The cool thing is though, I had never seen an empty Apple store before.

Originally Posted by crkeo

I have only been to 1 Apple store on one occasion when I visited the Genius Bar...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahah
hahahahahhaahhahahahahahahha
hahahahahahhahahahahhahahaha

* stop to catch my breath... They call them GENIUS !

hahahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahah
ahahahahhahahhahahahahhahahahagh
hahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahhaha
hahahahhahhahahahhahahahhahah

WHat was the question again ? O.o

Let me guess, they fixed a problem you had that you weren't capable of fixing on your own, right ?

**jd914** · 06-11-2012, 07:51 PM

Where is the nearest BB store in the lower 48 so I can compare?

**PineappleUnderTheSea** · 06-11-2012, 08:14 PM

Apple did a good job with their stores, tons of staff, tons of stuff to play with (as opposed to, say, Best Buy). Doesn't surprise me that everyone else wants to emulate it. With that said, those BB "stores" at airports are poor. Usually empty, but that doesn't surprise me since you'd only go into one if you truly need something last minute, they are not meant to truly showcase the products.

"Nice stores" do matter to me, for e.g. last time I walked in a Sears looking for a shirt, you're greeted with old rickety chrome rolling racks, the laminated tile on the floor is cruddy, low ceilings that look dirty, etc. etc. The Macy's next door has a whole upscale presentation with their clothing, you feel cleaner just by walking into it. Things like that matter (look at Sear's performance in the last few years....)

Presentation is everything!

**MasterOfBinary** · 06-11-2012, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by JD914

Where is the nearest BB store in the lower 48 so I can compare?

The article said there's only one in the States, so apparently it's Detroit... RIM opens BlackBerry retail store - FierceCIO:TechWatch

**anjali_jain** · 06-12-2012, 12:31 AM

In India, RIM has launched its 3rd exclusive store 4 days ago.....and now planning to open 15 stores in India (http://crackberry.com/rim-plans-open-15-stores-india ) ........But no Apple exclusive store here in India while India is an emerging market for smartphones. Its shows popularity of BB phones in India. And i never heard about Microsoft Store in India. If we compare region-wise then I think it's enough to compare.