Google's first retail store
forbes.com
forbes.com
I think it is especially true with things you need to "play with" before you make a decision to buy - e.g. keyboards (and other input devices), tablets, phones, watches, etc.
Companies that have or are starting to have b&m presences again: Apple, Google, Microsoft, SparkFun (yay, Microcenter!), RadioShack (the good-old RadioShack from the 80s and 90s, not upsell-the-phone RS. Still holding my breath for this one). Fry's was one of the survivors because it understood the need for customer-product interaction (imho), even though it did decline in customer service quality, which is a result of the race to the bottom price against internet-only stores.
That seems a bit disingenuous. PCs get better over time with software updates as well.
If Chromebooks can solve this problem, whatever the root of the problem may be, then maybe they're onto something.
And our politicians should all be shot. I'd like them to do something more then slag each other off.
You must be joking. The British are probably the most adept at quietly suffering, lest it come across as inappropriate (except when it comes to the weather). Americans are far more honest and loud-mouthed about problems.
At least from an Indian's perspective.
From what I've seen people in the UK try to be very 'proper' about everything - often when they don't even mean it. That's what causes all the differences in culture between the UK and other European countries like Germany.
Although, this is the Government that promoted the slogan 'Keep calm and carry on'[1] many many years ago.
Why is Google so careful with opening more stores like this?
It seems pretty clear that such stores are extremely good at selling products to your average customer. Why not open dozens, even hundreds of them, all over the world?
I wouldn't be surprised to see Google stores rocking Motorola phones, tablets, etc popping up over the next few years. They're in no rush, I'm sure: retail and customer service is not their strong point and they're making plenty of money without the stores right now. But the time will come.
Personally, I don't think the value proposition is high for the consumer right now. The value largely lies with enterprise, where company's want computer to do specific functions with increased security and lower IT costs.
> It seems pretty clear that such stores are extremely
> good at selling products to your average customer.
A fairer comparison is time to resume from standby. But then, Chromebook will have to push their other selling points.
Honestly, I don't see Chromebooks becoming very successful mainly due to price. For the same price of a Chromebook, one can buy a notebook that is much more powerful.
Instead I think Google should sell (or even more ambitiously give out) Chromebooks at a loss to have people use their cloud-based services. (Much like what Amazon is doing with their Kindle Fire). Unfortunately, if they were going to do this, they would have a long time ago.
I think the Chromebook will eventually go the way of the Zune. Late to market and eventually cancelled.
“It’s so limited!” the man in his 20′s was saying while sitting in front of one of the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 devices, and idly playing with the clickable trackpad. He was saying this to two friends that had crowded around the device and a staff member who was managing to stay calm while defending the Chromebook’s existence. “For 350 quid [Brit-speak for pounds] you can get so much more.”
He looked up at the staff member and asked, hopefully, “Is this going to have iTunes?”
“No.”
“See what I mean!” he cried.
“There’s Grooveshark,” one of the friends piped up.
“All I’m saying is it’s a computer for solely online purposes. Why? You could just buy a netbook and install Chrome on it.” He gesticulated at the screen. “It’s just a shell with Internet.”