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Microsoft store opening October 22nd, insides revealed?

Imagine for a second that you’re Microsoft. Unimaginably rich, a bit bloated after years on the Office hog, and worried about a few big projects you’ve been meaning to finish if only you could find the time. So what day would you choose to launch your brick-and-mortar stores back into retail if you were Microsoft’s David Porter, vice president of retail stores and former Wal-Mart exec? If it was us, we’d choose October 22nd, the official Windows 7 launch. That’s exactly what a number of tipsters are telling us courtesy of an in-person briefing by Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s COO. Specifically, the Scottsdale store will swing the doors wide on the 22nd, we’re not sure about the Mission Viejo location. According the Wall Street Journal, the stores will sell Windows-based laptops and cellphones and allow consumers to play Xbox 360 games on a 94-inch in-store screen. It’ll even have a Genius Bar “counter” where people can bring their Microsoft gear for help. In fact, the WSJ claims that the Scottsdale store interior is a “nearly exact replica” of the store created on Redmond’s campus — something we covered back in January (pics in the gallery below). Who knows, this could be the beginning of www.peopleofmicrosftstore.com as Internet trends go.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Microsoft store opening October 22nd, insides revealed? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First two Microsoft stores pretty close to Apple counterparts

Filed under: Retail, Odds and ends

On Tuesday, CNET announced that the first two Microsoft stores would be located in Mission Viejo, Calif. and Scottsdale, Ariz. The California store will be in The Shops at Mission Viejo, a complex that already has an Apple Store. The Arizona store, according to the Associated Press, will be located in Scottsdale Fashion Square (shown at right), a little less than nine miles from Scottsdale Quarter, where Apple opened its fifth Phoenix-metro store last month.

“Hurray,” I thought sarcastically after hearing about the Scottsdale store. “Just what I always wanted in my city — a Microsoft store.”

It’s not surprising why these two locations were chosen. There’s a lot of money in both areas, and a lot of existing Apple stores. It would be a notch in Microsoft’s belt to draw traffic away from these highly penetrated areas.

I’ve already told my fellow TUAW comrades that I’m willing to brave visiting the store when it opens, just to see how it compares to its Apple counterparts. I’ve already asked for hazard pay. But, after, I think I may just need to stop by my local Apple store to appreciate the guys who drove Microsoft to do this in the first place.

TUAWFirst two Microsoft stores pretty close to Apple counterparts originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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