Coming Soon To A Mall Near You

Seems like manufacturers opening their own branded stores, with a unique experience is the current trend.  Apple has certainly gotten attention with their stores (and it doesn't hurt when folks camp out the night before for new products).  My local mall has a Sony store.  Also, let's not forget those lackluster Dell kiosks, or the pushy Verizon ones.  So, I was hardly surprised to hear the Microsoft is moving in this direction as well:

Our sources close to Microsoft have confirmed that the company wants to reach out for the retail market presence. Microsoft wants to open and create many retail shops dedicated exclusive to Microsoft and its products.

This is something that Apple did with its many Apple retail stores around the world. Microsoft will put its retail people in the shops with hope that these skilled people will be able to show the true Microsoft experience.

This is probably a good idea as they do have an expansive line of products, and this is a way to showcase them all at once.  Of course, this could backfire as the younger generation often sees Microsoft as too corporate, and hardly cool.  I could still see this as a place where Zune enthusiasts could gather.  Maybe I could finally squirt some tunes?

Comments

[Stephane]

Who would have said 10 years ago that Microsoft and Apple would compete on small consumer electronic devices and retail stores!

Awesome rumor/news though...I can't wait to see what a Microsoft retail store could look like?

Anyone asked if Google was planning anything similar? Or maybe the will only release an SDK (Store Development Kit!)