Apple’s Retail Stores are pretty much famous all over the world. The many outlets located in various territories are not only famed for being some of the most profitable retail spaces in the world on a square foot basis, but certain stores, such as the Fifth Avenue location in New York, are simply beautiful works of art that capture the attention of consumers and tourists. Now, it looks as though Microsoft could be attempting to garner some attention in New York with a flagship store of its own, literally five blocks away from Apple’s “Cube”.
As part of an attempt to further promote its own products and services, the software giant appears to be taking a leaf out of Apple’s books by investing heavily in prominent retail space. And let’s be honest here, you don’t really get much more of an investment in retail than plying resources into opening a flagship store on Fifth Avenue, New York City. It seems that in addition to opening the store literally down the road from Apple, Microsoft is also offering additional incentives to get footfall through the door on opening day.
As part of an ongoing attempt to build a stronger relationship with new and existing Microsoft consumers, the company is also dishing out tickets as part of the store’s opening for an evening concert today that’s being put on by the rapper and film star Pitbull. Microsoft obviously can’t continue to give out the freebies going forward, so it’ll need to rely on the new found excitement surrounding its latest product offerings to keep consumers coming back through the doors of this latest retail investment.
Historically speaking, Microsoft has always been content to let its numerous hardware partners build, market, and distribute hardware that’s built on top of the company’s software. The recent introduction of products such as the Surface Book, as well as the new Surface Pro 4 and a slew of other hardware, all of which run Windows 10, has seen a shift in that mentality. It seems that Satya Nadella’s company is now keen to take a leading role in pushing its products directly to consumers through huge flagship retail space that it itself controls.
The new store on Fifth Avenue was previously occupied by Italian fashion house Fendi. If you’re in the area and planning on visiting the new flagship Microsoft Store then you’ll be immediately presented with the stunning Surface Book to gaze upon. The space also houses a massive 30-foot display with concentrated screens, and is the only Microsoft retail outlet right now showcasing the Surface Hub display.
The store is undoubtedly beautiful, and undoubtedly contains a lot of Microsoft’s products, but will the company be able to capture the magic that Apple has been able to master with its own retail space in this area?
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.
