Microsoft Corp. has been hyping its new Windows 7 operating system, which goes on sale next week, but the company is also planning to quietly take the wraps off another big gamble: its first retail stores.
The software maker is putting the finishing touches on a store in Scottsdale, Ariz., and expects to open it for business on or within days of the launch of the new operating system next Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The store’s spacious floor plan will showcase everything from laptops running Windows 7 to mobile phones running Microsoft software to Xbox 360 game consoles, which customers will be able to play on a 94-inch screen in the store, this person said.
The Microsoft store under construction, Scottsdale, AZ.
Microsoft also expects to open a second store in a mall in Mission Viejo, Calif., in the next few weeks, with plans to slowly roll out more if the first ones are successful, according to the person familiar with the matter.
The stores are a clear nod to Apple Inc.‘s success in retail. They also underscore the lengths to which Microsoft is willing to go to connect with consumers after stumbling in recent years with products such as Windows Vista, an operating system plagued by early technical problems that helped Apple gain ground with the Macintosh.
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