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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Tech / Retail It's Microsoft Store Grand Opening Day at University Village!

Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 9:00 AM

Click to enlarge

Goldy and I have just arrived at University Village to cover the grand opening of the 12th-ever Microsoft Store. And "grand" this "opening" sure is! Dozens of people "occupied" University Village last night, camping overnight for the privilege of being the first few customers in Microsoft's new retail mecca (good thing nobody told the SPD, eh?). Now hundreds of people, from as far away as Ohio and Australia, are lined up, waiting for the chance to play Kinect with a couple of famous sports stars*, pick up free tickets to a Black Keys concert, and stock up on the newest, hottest models of Zunes, Windows Phones, and Microsoft Word!

The festivities are about to begin (find a full schedule right here), but I just wanted to tell you that it's all so very glamorous here, with Microsoft-citement spreading like the plague! I've even heard a rumor that Steve Ballmer might make an appearance—I hope they've brought a few hunky firemen to catch all the swooning ladies!

Click to enlarge

It's not too late for you to head out to University Village. Just call in "sick" and join the festivities**! If you absolutely have to stay where you are, don't fret: we'll be posting updates right here on Slog! Can you possibly bear the excitement?!!?! Gotta run—don't wanna miss the sure-to-be-scintillating address from Microsoft corporate vice president Rich Kaplan!

* I have four words for you—Edgar, Keller, Martinez, and Kasey; do the match, bitchez!

** It's super-easy to find the new Microsoft Store; it's directly across the parking lot from the Apple store.

Comments (22) RSS

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Zzz...

Posted by DowntownTaylor

on October 20, 2011 at 9:07 AM

And this is why nothing will ever change, why the occupy wall street protests are meaningless. Bread and circuses. An entire generation of people obsessed with shiny toys that go beep and completely disengaged from reality.

Posted by Rotten666 on October 20, 2011 at 9:16 AM

more like The Black Keygens amirite?

Posted by patthepat on October 20, 2011 at 9:17 AM

So...will the store lock up with the blue screen of death?

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on October 20, 2011 at 9:25 AM

Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1995.

Posted by mint chocolate chip on October 20, 2011 at 9:26 AM

what a doomed concept, especially since they seem to need to bribe people with games, goodies, celebrities

just describing it as across from the Apple store defines the stupidity of the Microsoft store

Posted by olive oyl on October 20, 2011 at 9:28 AM

I'm sure the Apple store employees are shaking in their boots.

Posted by I Got Nuthin' on October 20, 2011 at 9:28 AM

Then again, how many Occupy Seattle protesters are in possession of said toys?

Posted by Jim Thomsen on October 20, 2011 at 9:37 AM

So I drove by about an hour ago and from what I saw, the crowd is not really that big. I live about 1/4 mile down the road and have definitely seen bigger crowds for Black Friday shopping. Do I sense sarcasm or has the crowd actually increased?

Posted by ssdf23 on October 20, 2011 at 9:43 AM

I love the Apple stores, but I hate their locations in Seattle. Southcenter is about the only one I can cope with. The rest of them are way too lifestylely for me.

Please open a downtown Seattle store. And not one in Pacific Place or any of the other boorish enclaves.

Posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay

on October 20, 2011 at 10:50 AM

Zune.

Posted by SPG on October 20, 2011 at 11:58 AM

I find it thoroughly amusing that for people to line up in front of one Microsoft Store, you have to get a national act like The Black Keys. All Apple has to do to get a line in front of ALL of their stores is ship a product that people actually want.

Posted by MacBastard on October 20, 2011 at 11:59 AM

I'd go just for the chance to get free concert tickets. I'm reminded of star trek and the red shirts who almost always die. At the opening there are blue shirts who will probably crash after the first day.

Posted by Simone on October 20, 2011 at 12:11 PM

@2 I bet you're a hoot at parties.

Posted by T on October 20, 2011 at 12:15 PM

@12, because Apple has never promoted anything with bands. How's that black and red special U2 edition iPod working out for you?

Posted by Fnarf

on October 20, 2011 at 1:03 PM

@3 haha nice

Posted by 34x42 on October 20, 2011 at 1:04 PM

I thought for sure it was another Apple store opening.

Posted by KittenKoder

on October 20, 2011 at 1:55 PM

@15 Well, that wasn't really my point. My point was that it requires additional incentive to line up for the Microsoft Store because, lord knows it ain't the stuff on the shelves that are going to pull a crowd like that. As mentioned above by another commenter, "Zune".

Posted by MacBastard on October 20, 2011 at 3:00 PM

Speaking of Microsoft, I just spent the last 90 minutes disinfecting my XP machine which got infected with one of those pernicious malware viruses that starts off looking like an artivirus message (in this case, Security Essentials telling me my A/V was off) and when you foolishly click on it it behaves like a spider's egg, spewing virures everywhere. This one ended up rooting my machine.

The root was particularly horrible as my old tricks didn't work. I couldn't get Malwarebytes to run, I couldn't get SuperAntiSpyware to run (even the portable version and even when using msconfig to boot into safe mode).

However -- I had the pleasant experience of discovering something new and fantastic...Combofix...which is so steely...it runs in a blue cmd box! It doesn't mess around at all...telling you in the instructions that it's a "manual mode" malware remover that requires an operator nearby (grab the punch cards and watermelon paper...we're running FORTRAN).

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix…

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on October 20, 2011 at 4:36 PM

@19: Perhaps you should try upgrading to an operating system that was developed in the 21st century.

Posted by Zeusifer on October 20, 2011 at 5:57 PM

I have never seen an empty Apple Store. And except for "events" like this, I have never seen a Microsoft Store with customers in it.

Posted by Paul1969 on October 23, 2011 at 9:37 PM

On Friday, Oct. 21about 1:30 in the afternoon, I had to journey over to my closest Apple store for advice on a couple of issues I was having on my iPad... This is a BIG Apple store in the Mission Viego, CA mall... Normal day - normal crowd.. Probably 200 in the store, 5 or 6 'greeters' doing their best to guide newcomers to the right place; making appointments for foks that have bigger problems; or others coming into the store for training or to pick up their purchases

The problems I was having with my iPad were dispatched with haste at the door, but I did make a genius appt. for the next morning... First available... I decided to mosey on down the corridor on the second floor looking for a kiosk that may sell 'simple mobile' to replace my crumbling T-mumble service, when I noticed the Microshaft retail store on the same floor. I was just amazed. There were probably 10-15 people in the store... This Microshaft store is actually BIGGER than the Apple store... And with a tenth the customers...

Hope you guys have a nice concert because, at this rate, the store won't be there long....

Posted by Winski on October 23, 2011 at 10:18 PM