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Mary-Jo Foley
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Microsoft starts selling PC hardware, third-party software via its online store

By | October 22, 2009, 5:33am PDT

Summary: The first brick-and-mortar Microsoft retail store is opening in Scottsdale, Ariz., today, October 22. But Microsoft has opened its revamped virtual store today, as well, and has added PC hardware and third-party software titles to its mix.

The first brick-and-mortar Microsoft retail store is opening in Scottsdale, Ariz., today, October 22. But Microsoft has opened its revamped virtual store today, as well, and has added PC hardware and third-party software titles to its mix.

The online Microsoft Store opened for business last November. The online store was a replacement for Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace site. When it opened, the online store only allowed  users to purchase Microsoft hardware and software — games, keyboards, games and gaming consoles, Windows (client and server versions), Office and development tools.  The electronic distribution capability of the online store made it  an ideal complement to netbooks, Microsoft executives said.

Trevin Chow, Senior Lead Program Manager for Microsoft Store, announced Microsoft’s online sales strategy via an October 21 blog post. The online Microsoft Store opened for business last November

“On the new online Microsoft Store, we’ve added a bunch of new products, including Windows 7 PCs as well as select 3rd party software and accessories.  And let’s not forget a ton of gaming products that have been added including a bunch of the top selling Xbox 360 titles.”

The revamped store includes machines in the desktop, laptop, netbook and accessories categories. It also is selling Zune HD media players.

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Topics

Software, PC, Online Store, Microsoft Corp., Games, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Tools & Techniques, Personal Technology, Hardware, Management, Mary Jo Foley

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

Disclosure

Mary-Jo Foley

Freelance journalist/blogger Mary Jo Foley has nothing to disclose. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). I do not own Microsoft stock or stock in any of its partners or competitors. I have no business ventures that are sponsored by/funded by Microsoft or any of its partners or competitors.

Biography

Mary-Jo Foley

Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 25 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She has kept close tabs on Microsoft strategy, products and technologies for the past 10 years. In the late 1990s, she penned the award-winning "At The Evil Empire" column for ZDNet, and more recently the Microsoft Watch blog for Ziff Davis.

Got a tip? Send her an email with your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. Confidentiality guaranteed.

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RE: Microsoft starts selling PC hardware, third-party software via its online store
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Wow, 90 days of technical support.
Nimelennar Updated - 22nd Oct 2009
Because nothing ever goes wrong with a computer after 90 days!
Seriously, Microsoft. Get a better service plan.
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RE: Microsoft starts selling PC hardware, third-party software via its online store
Theseus Updated - 22nd Oct 2009
They have to be kidding. So who do you go to if something goes wrong with your laptop after 90 days? You're on your own?

If they have their own store, you should be able to go to their service counter and drop off your HP/Dell/Toshiba machine for repair.

I see customer service FUBARS ahead....
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RE: Microsoft starts selling PC hardware, third-party software via its online store
Loverock Davidson 22nd Oct 2009
Its going to be a wonderful Microsoft filled day! All the news is about Microsoft all day today and its very pleasing. Those of you complaining about 90 day support, your problems will come up within the first 90 days of owning the hardware and Windows 7 so that is plenty of time to get the issue resolved. There is a wealth of information on the internet and Microsoft's MVP's will be happy to help you too. If its a hardware issue then you go to the hardware manufacturer to get the issue resolved. Its a pretty standard way of doing things.
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If they're trying to compete with Apple...
Nimelennar 22nd Oct 2009
They have to do better than 90 days. Their target market is the people who just want to turn on the computer and have it work. What are these people supposed to do after 90 days if they have data corruption? Malware? Blue screens? There are the type of people who want their computers to just work, and if they don't, they'll want to dump the computer in the lap of the place they got it from, and say "You fix it." The people who can fix a problem themselves using Google and forums aren't going to buy through the Microsoft Store.

It's true that 90 days of software support is the same that Apple offers, but the fact is that Macs generally have fewer problems than PCs, and Apple at least gives the option of purchasing an extended support plan.

Unless Microsoft takes more responsibility for the hardware and software they sell through their stores, I'm not going to recommend the Microsoft store to anyone.
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Somehow, I get the feeling...
bigsibling 22nd Oct 2009
I get the feeling that even if MS offered a 1 year, full warranty on things they sell through their store, you'd still not recommend them.
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I recommend based on quality
Nimelennar 22nd Oct 2009
If Microsoft offered a full 1-year warranty, free, I'd recommend them in a second. No one does that.

If they offered a paid upgrade to a 1-year warranty, I'd suggest that people look into buying from them, but I wouldn't recommend them yet, because I have no idea of the quality of the customer service they'd offer.

If, after a few months, I'd heard good things about their customer service, of course I'd recommend them.
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90 days is plenty
Loverock Davidson 22nd Oct 2009
For the reasons stated earlier, 90 days is plenty of time. If they have any of the issues you listed after that then they will need to contact their local PC repair shop. Malware is not Microsoft's responsibility although they do a darn good job of trying to prevent it. Data corruption will need to be determined on how it happened but that is rare for a home user to experience it. BSOD, the user would need to send the dump file to Microsoft or someone else to determine what caused it. If its a driver then go to the hardware manufacturer.

So you can see that Microsoft has all its bases covered and I will highly recommend them.
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It may not be their responsibility...
Nimelennar 22nd Oct 2009
Okay, I'll grant you that a high percentage of hardware/software problems happen in the first 90 days. I'll grant you that Microsoft has many resources online to help users. I will also grant you that most hardware problems can be resolved through the manufacturer.

However, working in tech support, I have to say that many users are unwilling or incapable of accessing online resources themselves, that hardware manufacturers are usually unwilling to do more than the minimum to help their customers, and that to say that when you buy a new system, "your problems will come up within the first 90 days of owning the hardware and Windows 7" is oversimplifying at best, and seriously misleading at worst.

All arguing aside as to whether it's necessary or Microsoft's responsibility to provide tech support past 90 days, I submit that it would be a seriously savvy business move.

First, if you hire good tech support and emphasize customer satisfaction, you'll greatly improve the customer experience - one of the major things Apple touts as a reason to get a Mac.

Second, home computer tech support is a huge market. People will come in and say, "I bought this computer here, help me fix it!" Some people will be willing to pay money for an extended service plan that will allow them to do this as often as they like over a given time period. Others will be willing to pay each time they visit with a problem. Either way, sending these people somewhere else is diverting money that could be going back to Redmond.

In short, good customer service is an easy sell to anyone, and the appearance of putting the customer first could boost many people's opinion of Microsoft.
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RE: Microsoft starts selling PC hardware, third-party software via its online store
Theseus Updated - 22nd Oct 2009
If I as a customer buy a computer from a Microsoft Store and *91* days later it breaks down, you better believe I'm taking it back, slap it on the counter and tell them to fix it. I'd raise holy hell if they didn't.
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Tech support and warranty (or lack of it) will be a PR nightmare.
No_Ax_to_Grind 22nd Oct 2009
Look, it isn't gong to matter who made the hardware when its bought from Microsoft. People will not care about the manufacture in this any more than when dealing with Wally world. They want to come back to the store and the store has to make it right or they get the black eye in the PR face. You want to see p*ssed off custumers, take a day and hand out at the Best Buy service counter when a customer returns a computer and is told it has to go back to xyz and its the users responsibility to deal with it.
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RE: Microsoft starts selling PC hardware, third-party software via its online store
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RE: Microsoft starts selling PC hardware, third-party software via its online store
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