Microsoft Stores Coming In The Fall—“Right Next Door” To Apple Stores
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Get ready for side-by-side Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) stores. Microsoft COO Kevin Turner told an audience at the company’s Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans Wednesday that “we are going to have some retail stores that are opened up right next door to Apple stores this fall.” Microsoft said in February that it would launch a chain of stores, although the company did not detail either a timeline for their opening or say where they would be located. The fall debut makes sense, considering that Microsoft’s next operating system, Windows 7, will be generally available in late October. Also, that’s roughly when the company expects to release its latest Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphones. The stores are an attempt by Microsoft to deepen its engagement with customers. Over at ZDNet, Mary Jo Foley notes that they will be “more showcases than actual retail outlets.”
SEE ALSO: Microsoft Going Into Owned Retail Stores; Hoping For Apple Magic
During his remarks, Turner emphasized that the company was stepping up its offensive against Apple. “We’re just going to keep running them and running them and running them,” he said. Turner noted with pride that two weeks ago Apple’s legal department called Microsoft demanding that Microsoft pull ads that compare the cost of PCs with comparable Macs because Apple had lowered some prices since the ads were rolled out. “It was the single greatest phone call ... that I’ve ever taken in business,” he said. Turner argued that the phone call was a sign that the ads were working (Note to Turner: That may be a leap of faith.)
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