In Scottsdale, Arizona

Oct 23, 2009 10:17 GMT  ·  By

Concomitantly with the debut of the latest iteration of the Windows client, Windows 7, Microsoft has also opened the doors to its first-ever retail store. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Microsoft retail store is one of the first two projects of their kind for the Redmond company, having already welcomed shoppers as of October 22nd. The second retail outlet is scheduled to be inaugurated on October 29, in Mission Viejo, California.

According to the software giant, the store is set up to deliver a new Microsoft branded retail experience for shoppers. Although focused exclusively on the software and hardware solutions from the ecosystem of products revolving around the company’s technology, the shop offers a wide array of laptops, netbooks, PCs, Xbox consoles, Windows Mobile phones and even third-party software titles.

“Our customers have told us they want choice, better value and great service when shopping for technology, and that is what we will deliver through our Microsoft stores,” noted David Porter, corporate vice president of Microsoft Retail.

Porter revealed that the software giant went for a store design with four “zones.” In this regard, Microsoft has attempted to blend its vision of three screens: mobile, PC and TV with software. “We want to showcase what’s possible with the full Microsoft brand,” Porter added.

While representing a new retail experience for customers, the new Microsoft stores also deliver fresh opportunities for manufacturers. The company’s retail outlets will be focused on displaying the latest and best products to the public. “Once we open the first stores and people see what we’re about in terms of showcasing the choice, highlighting the value and providing a full service experience for customers, I believe the supplier base is going to want to make some investments and figure out how [and] what they can move into the store,” Porter said.

UPDATE: Thorston Smith is right, on June 16, 1999, Microsoft opened up microsoftSF, an 8,500-square-foot store at Metreon, the Sony Entertainment Center in San Francisco. However, the company is looking at microsoftSF as more of a retail experiment, and specifically noted that it was “opening Microsoft’s first-ever retail store” in Scottsdale on October 22nd, 2009. Thanks Thorston, it completly slipped my mind.

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