It has long been speculated that Microsoft would go the same way of Apple and open up its own stores, and so it will. David Porter will become VP of Retail Stores and get the responsibility of yet another channel for bringing Microsoft’s products to the users. His first assignment will be to decide where, how and when the first stores should open. Dare we to guess that the first ones will appear at about the time of launch of Windows 7?
”There are tremendous opportunities ahead for Microsoft to create a world-class shopping experience for our customers, I am excited about helping consumers make more informed decisions about their PC and software purchases, and we’ll share learnings from our stores with our existing retail and OEM partners that are critical to our success.”
A number of so called experts says that this is more of a way of marketing and improving your image rather than making money, and that doesn’t sound all that unlikely. It would seem like a good idea for a company like Microsoft that is often looked at as a big, greedy company with little connection with the end-users. Could this perhaps be the start of something new?
Yesterday we reported about generous updates from Vista to Windows 7 if you bought a computer close to the launch, could it be that Microsoft is turning nicer? Most likely these stores are not mainly intended to sell more products, but instead like many car companies, show off the products and create a buzz, an interest for the new and exciting products they may have.
No matter the underlying though we’re eager to see how this will evolve and exactly what it will turn into.
