back to article Microsoft store staff to hold all night vigil for Surface 2

Microsoft is planning a midnight launch for its next-generation Surface fondleslabs, to be capped by a performance by rapper Pitbull. Reg readers may recall that Redmond pulled a similar stunt when it launched the Surface RT last October, holding witching-hour events at the 32 pop-up stores it opened for the holiday season. …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    6 million unsold stock?

    I just tried to picture that in my head. That's incredible. We're talking end of Raiders Of The Lost Ark warehouse size surely? Incredible waste of resources.

    1. yossarianuk

      Re: 6 million unsold stock?

      > Incredible waste of resources

      Like Windows.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Joke

        Re: 6 million unsold stock?

        Or like Linux, if you look at it from Windows perspective :)

    2. Fihart

      Re: 6 million unsold stock?

      Yup, with warehouse rents it would, literally, be cheaper to give them away. But what do MS do -- oh,yes, introduce another one !

      If they can just go bust doing this, the world will be a better place.

      1. Dazed and Confused

        Re: 6 million unsold stock?

        Yup, with warehouse rents it would, literally, be cheaper to give them away. But what do MS do -- oh,yes, introduce another one !

        Maybe they've got another giant warehouse they need to fill.

      2. K

        be cheaper to give them away

        Microsoft has already lost a substantial amount of money, allowing the older models to just collect dust serves no purpose, sell them at a ridiculously discounted price would be a good way to build interest, a heathly user base and an eco-system (Just look what happened when HP had their fire sale for the WebOS tablets).

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: be cheaper to give them away

          The WebOS Touchpad actually ended up being a great machine, especially when sold at the firesale price.

          A crying shame that it took that to actually sell them.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 6 million unsold stock?

      I still laugh at Microsoft's arrogance of holding a mock funeral for the iPad. How's that working out for them?

  2. Cliff

    Pitbull photo

    Is that Pitbull, or Ballmer? Is that what he's upto these days?

    1. mafoo
      Coat

      Re: Pitbull photo

      Dirty dancing....

      1. Barry Dingle

        Re: Pitbull photo

        So, a Pitbull concert is the "prize" for being one of the lucky customers? Could I just have the cash instead? Speaking of which, who has a midnight opening where customers have to be bribed to show up?

        1. Sloppy Crapmonster

          Re: Pitbull photo

          Gluttons for punishment. Not only will we confiscate $300 for a Surface, we'll rendition you to Florida and force Pitbull down your ear canals!

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Pitbull photo

          > So, a Pitbull concert is the "prize" for being one of the lucky customers?

          It's better than that; the first prize is a ticket to a Pitbull concert and the runner up prizes are two tickets to a Pitbull concert...

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Pitbull photo

            I thought a pitbull concert was an illegal dogfight?

            Who is this individual, some sort of r and/or b rapper for the young people?

            Why should I be concerned with their prescence?

            Why are they on the register?

        3. jonathanb Silver badge

          Re: Pitbull photo

          Given all the rent-a-crowd agencies out there, seemingly quite a lot of companies have to bribe people to turn up to their opening events.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Pitbull photo

      Pitbull?

      MS Poodle!

      I'll get me coat...

  3. Bob Vistakin
    Linux

    Microsoft Surface - the one used only by those forced to

    It's so obvious that anyone with a choice avoids Microsoft, it hurts.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Microsoft Surface - the one used only by those forced to

      Funnily, your comments never avoid them and they often hurt to read...

    2. dogged

      Re: Microsoft Surface - the one used only by those forced to

      I do not work for Microsoft or any affiliate of theirs.

      I have absolute choice of OS's for my personal use and for our current development project.

      My choices are - iPad for the Mrs, Lumia 920 for me (perfect hand size), Asus touchscreen ultrabook running Win8. My personal home server is debian.

      For work, now that W8 is security certified, we're going with Win8 embedded on 8 inch rugged touchscreens talking to a Windows Server 2012 datacentre running ANPR over four concurrent video streams per vehicle. We made this choice after extensive testing of which form factors our client - they wear a lot of blue - preferred.

      In other words, you're wrong and you're an irritating fucking troll.

      Piss off.

      1. Dazed and Confused
        Joke

        Re: Microsoft Surface - the one used only by those forced to

        they wear a lot of blue

        Maybe they like their screens to match their outfits, very colour coordinated

  4. asdf

    translation

    So in other words Microsoft is throwing a big party for its employees who are virtually the only Surface customers.

  5. AlexS
    Paris Hilton

    Yo

    http://youtu.be/Ni3bPWH5tFg

  6. Tom 35

    "and one contest winner from each store will be flown to Orlando, Florida the next morning to attend a special performance by Pitbull."

    Who? Could be worse I guess, they could give them a free Surface.

  7. DrXym

    Who would queue up at midnight for this?

    It's a tablet. It's one of MANY tablets which run Windows or Windows RT. It's a tablet which is likely to be in stock just about anywhere that sells it for as long as it takes to sell them or for MS to write them off. I wouldn't waste a minute queuing or turning up out of hours for these things. I wouldn't for any other tablet for that matter but especially these ones.

    If they're *that* amazing then Microsoft will make more of them and if they aren't, well what was the point of buying one in the first place? Not that I have an objection to a Windows tablet at all, I'm extremely enthusiastic for them. Just not for these particular overpriced doorstops.

    1. asdf

      Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

      Yeah I am afraid the only way you will get a real queue of non shills is if you have a first come first served brick and mortar only, $99 fire sale and even then who knows.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

        The lenovo Yoga just dropped to $299 here - semi tempted.

        Just for a machine at work to run Outlook as a dashboard and for travelling.

        Main worry is that it won't get any RT updates and will become a brick when IE version.whatever requires RT8.2

    2. Robert E A Harvey

      Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

      >MANY tablets which run Windows or Windows RT

      eh? are you counting the unsold ones one at a time?

      I'd take 'a handful', but 'many'?

      1. DrXym

        Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

        "eh? are you counting the unsold ones one at a time?"

        There are quite a lot of models of Windows / Windows RT tablet out there. Most 3rd parties have written off Windows RT as a lost cause but I expect they'll continue to sell Windows tablets as part of their broader PC product lineup.

        I think ASUS transformer-style tablets running Windows and a low power Atom / Haswell processor are a very attractive device - use them like a tablet on the road, but plug em into their keyboard and the full blown desktop becomes useful for producing, not just consuming.

        However Microsoft seem to have lost their marbles with their offering. Both models are far too expensive for what they especially when the price of the keyboard is considered. The keyboard should have been included for the price they're charging. Better yet, the RT model should die a death and be replaced with an Atom model running proper Windows.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

      Many of those queueing up are Microsoft employees. Queue up or lose your job... not much of a choice for those people.

      1. dogged

        Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

        Many of those queueing up are Microsoft employees. Queue up or lose your job.

        [citation needed]

        1. hplasm
          FAIL

          Re:[citation needed]

          Haven't you got a wiki to polish?

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

        You know all those Apple employees who applaud people buying iPhones as they leave the Apple Store on the first day? Did you know they're not just coming to work to do that because they're impressed, they're actually told to do it and made to come in especially?

        Personally, I'd rather they stuffed the queue, applauding customers is creepy.

        1. Amorous Cowherder
          Happy

          Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

          I remember when they opened the one in Thurrock, we happened to wander in on the day and they scared the crap out of my little girl ( I think she was 5 or 6 at the time ) and she bawled her eyes out, then she when they offered her a balloon she hid behind us from them! Ha ha! Should have made a big enough fuss could have got my name in the Daily Fail, "Apple Employees in Child Abuse Shame Shocker!"!

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

          > Personally, I'd rather they stuffed the queue,

          Stuffed or staffed? I'd go with the former, fucking hate queues.

    4. hplasm
      Meh

      Re: Who would queue up at midnight for this?

      All night vigil- or deathwatch? Time will tell.

      But it's probably the latter...

  8. MrT

    It wasn't the launch hour that made GTA-V sell millions...

    ...but at least there won't be loads of kids skipping school on Wednesday 23rd, with parents calling in to say they are, erm, "ill" because they were up all night playing with this one.

  9. Big-nosed Pengie

    How appropriate!

    The world's worst excuse for music launching the world's worst excuse for computing.

    1. Ian 55

      Re: How appropriate!

      Microsoft - putting the 'C' into 'rap'.

    2. hplasm
      Devil

      Re: How appropriate!

      Pitbull vs Bullshit!

      Battle!

  10. Homer 1
    Meh

    Microsoft's Midnight Rap?

    I can smell the cheese already.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Concert by Pitbull

    I didn't need two reasons not to buy, but now I have them.

  12. Chairo

    anecdotal evidence

    Last week I had the following discussion with my (completely not interested in tech) wife:

    W: Hey look, this [insert Taiwanese maker] tablet is really cheap. It also has a high resolution.

    Me: (Point at the picture) This tablet runs under Microsoft's Windows RT.

    W: Oh, I see. (loses interest and clicks the ad away).

    Looks like Microsoft's ad campaign completely failed. At least in this case. For average people Windows just seems to have no brand value outside of the PC market. I wonder how Microsoft thinks they can sell their stuff, if they cannot make it desirable to end customers.

    1. Hellcat
      Joke

      Re: anecdotal evidence

      What did she expect? iOS?

  13. Goat Jam

    "one contest winner from each store will be flown to Orlando, Florida the next morning to attend a special performance by Pitbull"

    Good grief, if you win you get to fly to Orlando to watch a wigger rap artiste that nobody has ever heard of?

    Was Vanilla Ice unavailable?

    So what is second prize then?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Do you know what the word "wigger" means, Goat Jam? It's vile and offensive, don't use it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Oh no, I'm offended!

        Go on Goat Jam, offend away, though if you're white I don't see why you shouldn't use that word....

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    An all-night vigil?

    Had someone died?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: An all-night vigil?

      Had someone died?

      From a market perspective, its expected to be delivered DOA.

      Maybe by launching at night they're hoping people too ashamed to be seen with one might some along.

  15. Dr Patrick J R Harkin

    I hate these launch events.

    I went to one in London for Excel 5 (yes, that long ago.) with swirly dry ice smoke, enormous product box rising out of the stage, "I GOT THE POWER!" repeatedly blasted from the speakers. Demo guy selected some numbers, drew a 3D chart - yells of approval from crowd! Grabbed 3D chart and rotated - the crowd went wild!

    Two weeks later, I went to the Yorkshire launch event. No smoke, no rising pack, no music. Same demo. Demo guy selected some numbers, drew a 3D chart - no reaction from crowd. Grabbed 3D chart and rotated - total silence! "They got really excited by that in London", he whined. From the back of the room, in broad Yorkshire came the reply "It's only a bloody spreadsheet."

    This is only a bloody tablet. It'll still be there after breakfast tomorrow.

    1. Solmyr ibn Wali Barad

      Re: I hate these launch events.

      "From the back of the room, in broad Yorkshire came the reply "It's only a bloody spreadsheet.""

      Ouch. But a well deserved one.

      May all those experience-obsessed marketeers get a healthy dose of this.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    can't wait

    to find out

    please wake me up when / if they launch something worth waking up.

  17. BigAndos

    I wouldn't mind a Surface 2 Pro if it was, say, half the price at most. If they expected me to sit through a Pitbull performance though, that would be a dealbreaker!

  18. Maharg

    Congratulations, you just made a Pitbull song

    http://img8.joyreactor.com/pics/post/auto-218638.jpeg

    Say "Dale!" 2) Mumble 3 Spanish words 3) Ust 4 cities. Congratulations, you just made a Pitbull song.

  19. billium

    On wikipedia Mr Pitbull endorsed the Kodak brand :)

  20. Hilibnist
    Trollface

    Midnight on 22nd October?

    Unfortunate timing, especially with Apple 'expected' to hold a launch for their next iteration of iPad later that day.

    Given the feedback to recent Apple and Microsoft launches round here, will there be enough apathy to go round?

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I heard

    They lined up to ride the Titanic......

    And they thought it was a good idea at the time.

  22. MJA

    There is a Microsoft store?

    I've never seen one. Unless it's hidden behind a sex shop that as suddenly opened. Maybe if they close and re-open the shop I'll be able to pay a visit.

    No more late 90's Windows jokes... but in all seriousness: if they are having to use concert tickets to lure people in, surely they should have given themselves a fighting chance by offering tickets to an artist with appeal? Justin Bieber or One Direction would have had the usual crazed Apple store queuers coming along at least.

  23. plrndl
    Linux

    I wonder how much they're paying people to turn up and pretend to be customers.

  24. Euripides Pants
    Trollface

    participate in "a series of fun challenges,"

    So, the exact opposite of using a Surface...

  25. hugh wanger

    I see the MS hating is still a fashionable sport for the kids.

    Isn't their a Word Macro issue or Unix shell script you should be fixing?

    I really like my Surface RT. Waaayyy more than my old iPad.

    Agree with MJA, Pitbull is a poor choice. One Direction or Beiber would have been much more compelling for those who still get excited by a tablet.

  26. jelabarre59

    I have to admit, though, the *hardware* is nice. I'd go for a MSSurface tablet, if it were significantly cheaper and I could load Linux or Android on it...

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