Microsoft Signs Leases to Open Retail Stores in Arizona and California
According to CNET, Microsoft has confirmed that it has signed leases for upcoming retail stores in Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California. The stores are among the first in Microsoft's retail store initiative that is planned to directly compete with Apple's retail stores in a number of locations beginning later this year.
The Orange County, Calif., store is in a mall that already houses an Apple retail store. Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner said at this month's Worldwide Partner Conference that some of the locations would be right near Apple stores.
The first stores' fall opening comes at an opportune time for Microsoft, which is launching Windows 7 on October 22.
According to a presentation from Microsoft's retail consultant leaked last week, concepts for the stores include an "Answer Bar" or "Guru Bar" similar to Apple's Genius Bar, large digital media walls presenting dynamic information and images, and themed "stage areas" for various Microsoft technologies utilizing "Surface" multi-touch tables for interactive experiences.
Microsoft has
reportedly hired former Apple real estate chief George Blankenship as a consultant to assist the company with securing locations for its new retail stores.
Popular Stories
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
End-to-End Encryption for RCS
Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users.
If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit."
A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...
