Microsoft to open its own retail stores

In the current economic climate, such a move can prove to be either suicidal or a stroke of genius. Time will tell…

Hopefully, these will be more exicting than the Nintendo World shop in New York, which manages the difficult task of being even more sterile and boring than the Apple Store.

Dont know if I should laugh or cry, M$ already have such a massive high street pressence so why would they do this. Could be limited to captive audiences such as airports etc

Official stores are usually much more expensive than normal stores. I doubt these’ll be any different.

Well, it worked out well for the Gizmondo store…

Yep, no doubt the products will be stupidly overpriced.

It’d probably have to be a cold day in Hell before I stepped foot in one of those stores.

I thought all Microsoft did was “an apple”…?

Anyway, I don’t see this taking off. People go to the Apple store because somehow it makes them cool/fashionable… but Microsoft? I just don’t see it.

Mildrop said: “… M$ already have such a massive high street pressence so why would they do this…”

Microsoft dont own their current retail pressence, you see Microsoft product all over the place but Microsoft hasn’t got complete control of their brand like Apple do with their stores. You go into say PC world and see a bunch of poorley setup PCs running Vista and other Microsoft products that are not maintained properly and are left to rot. You also get asked if you want help by some 14 year old kid who doesnt actually know anything about Microsoft products or computers in general offering you advice that is just flawed, wrong and stupid. (If you havent guessed I hate customer service in PC world lol)

These stores arent going to be just about Xbox, they will be (like the apple stores are) a full representation of the whole Microsoft brand including Xbox, Zune, Windows, Microsoft Hardware (sidewinder, keyboards, mice) etc, presented in benificial way by people who actually know what they are talking about. Or so I would expect.

I would be more than excited to walk into a microsoft store. Hopefully they will set up a nice xbox section in their stores.

And honestly, I praise MS for starting retail stores at a time like this. While it may not open many jobs, its nice to see the people with the money taking initiative for a change; even if they are just out for more money.