I recently read about the grand opening of Microsoft’s first retail store, named “Microsoft Store“, idea of the name taken from “Apple Store“? Very likely.
The layout of the store is almost the same as well, but you can’t really blame them, there really isn’t any other way to showcase computers……NOT. Those people at Redmond have been constantly trying to copy and compete with other operating systems, mainly Apple’s Mac OS X, but failed drastically. Quoting Peter Bright from ars technica on the new Windows 7 review:
Once up and running, after briefly admiring the new start-up logo, you’re presented with probably the ugliest default wallpaper of any current OS; even the fecal brown of Ubuntu is more aesthetically pleasing
The styling is inconsistent with the visual cues in the rest of the operating system (it doesn’t follow from the theming of either the new startup screen or the logo on the Start orb, or anywhere else that the logo is used), it’s inconsistent with the Aero Glass appearance that 7 inherits from Vista. And, most importantly, it’s just irredeemably ugly and horrid.
Microsoft did not only tried to copy operating systems, but ads as well. Not so long ago they forked out a large sum of money to make a commercial with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld in it to counter Apple’s “Get A Mac” ads. 2 episodes were released, and it was a huge failure. It was meaningless and it was nowhere near interesting. It was just a total waste of time. Then they came out with their “Laptop Hunter” ads, which was a step-up from the Jerry Seinfeld ads, but didn’t quite his consumers too.
Apart from copying video ads, I’ve noticed that they might have also been starting to copy poster ads as well. I’m not going to say that they are, but the possibilities of it is undoubtedly high. While reading through the grand opening article, I noticed this picture:

Infinite Possibilities
An ad consisting of what looks to be like somewhat of a collage of Windows software images on the top and bottom of the poster, with a tag line in the middle.
As fas as I know, Apple has been using the collage method for quite awhile before it started to appear on Microsoft’s said poster.

App Store 500 Million Downloads

App Store 1 Billion Downloads

App Store Turns 1
So is Microsoft copying Apple? My take on it would have to be yes. I was a Windows user, since Vista, it has been giving me tons of problems. Problems that are better off solved with reformatting my hard drive, rather than spending countless hours going through and fixing files and registries, which is not a definite-problem-free solving method. I was convinced by a very persuasive, long time, childhood, friend, Keefe, to make the switch to a Mac. I was skeptical at first, mainly because of the price. But that bitch-ass mouth of his made me emptied my pockets to get this aesthetically pleasing piece of metal, a piece of metal that made me love computers all over again. Since the change, I never have the need to use a Windows based computer again. But under certain circumstances I will still have to face the dreaded Windows logo start button, which then I will go on ebuddy and start bitching about how my applications would crash unexpectedly. Or how it would take 3 minutes to start up Firefox because IE is piece of shit.
If Microsoft doesn’t stop with all the copycat business, we will probably be seeing things like these:

Microsoft Store Fifth Ave

Zune Vending Machine