When Microsoft starts selling its Windows 8 Surface tablets next month, it’ll be at a major retail disadvantage to Apple. Unlike its arch-nemesis, Microsoft doesn’t have 275 branded stores for consumers to line up outside of in anticipation of new products. Microsoft is hoping to tip the scales at least a little bit with a smattering of pop-up retail stores across the country and in Canada.
Here’s a complete list of the 32 Microsoft stores that’ll be around this holiday season:
• Aventura Mall – Aventura, FL
• Beachwood Place – Beachwood, OH
• Cherry Creek Shopping Center – Denver, CO
• Dadeland Mall – Miami, FL
• Eaton Centre – Toronto, Ontario
• Fashion Mall at Keystone – Indianapolis, IN
• Fashion Show Mall– Las Vegas, NV
• Glendale Galleria – Glendale, CA
• Mall at Green Hills – Nashville, TN
• Mall in Columbia – Columbia, MD
• Metropolis at Metrotown – Burnaby, BC
• Montgomery Mall – Bethesda, MD
• Natick Collection – Natick, MA
• North Star Mall – San Antonio, TX
• Oakridge Centre – Vancouver, BC
• Penn Square Mall – Oklahoma City, OK
• Perimeter Mall – Atlanta, GA
• Roosevelt Field Mall – Garden, City, NY
• Ross Park Mall – Pittsburgh, PA
• Saint Louis Galleria – St. Louis, MO
• San Francisco Centre – San Francisco, CA
• South Shore Plaza – Braintree, MA
• Southpark Mall – Charlotte, NC
• Stonebriar Centre Mall – Frisco, TX
• Streets at Southpoint – Durham, NC
• Time Warner Center – The Shops at Columbus Circle – New York, NY
• Washington Square– Portland, OR
• West Edmonton Mall – Edmonton, Alberta
• Westfarms Mall – West Hartford, CT
• Westfield Garden State Plaza – Paramus, NJ
• Woodland Hills Mall – Tulsa, OK
• Woodlands Mall – Woodlands, TX
There’s no word on when the stores will open exactly, but you’d expect them before the launch of Windows 8 and Surface next month. There’s also no word on whether the stores have any possibility of staying put after the holidays. After all, Microsoft has been planning to get a permanent retail presence going for a while. Pop-up stores might be a great way to try out locations before committing to a long-term lease. [The Verge]
https://gizmodo.com/microsofts-first-retail-store-opens-like-apple-store-w-5387880
