wraggster
November 27th, 2012, 23:21
Microsoft is in talks to open retail stores across Europe and is reported to be looking to launch next year.
According to the Financial Times (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/01bba9b8-3702-11e2-893a-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2DQHh3A7M), the vendor has already spoken to landlords in the UK and a decision will be made after the performance of the company’s US stores is assessed.
The move follows a wider trend in the IT industry. Unfortunately for retail partners, the success of Apple’s closed-garden model means that it is increasingly being held up as an example of how to succeed in the IT market.
This trend has already been partially embraced by Google’s Android ecosystem but Microsoft seems keen to more fully emulate the model. This can be seen in Windows 8’s integrated app store, which has versions for both mobile and PC applications, and the introduction of Microsoft retail stores.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/microsoft-stores-coming-to-europe/029696
According to the Financial Times (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/01bba9b8-3702-11e2-893a-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2DQHh3A7M), the vendor has already spoken to landlords in the UK and a decision will be made after the performance of the company’s US stores is assessed.
The move follows a wider trend in the IT industry. Unfortunately for retail partners, the success of Apple’s closed-garden model means that it is increasingly being held up as an example of how to succeed in the IT market.
This trend has already been partially embraced by Google’s Android ecosystem but Microsoft seems keen to more fully emulate the model. This can be seen in Windows 8’s integrated app store, which has versions for both mobile and PC applications, and the introduction of Microsoft retail stores.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/microsoft-stores-coming-to-europe/029696