Someone’s probably going to get fired over this. A whole PowerPoint presentation has been leaked from Microsoft, showing their plans for the upcoming Microsoft Stores. With space for 7, Project Natal, Windows Mobile, Surface, regular PCs, netbooks, and pretty much everything Microsoft has its hand in, it’s going to be pretty packed. They’re taking a lot of cues from the Apple Store, though — a lot of cues — and it may work out all right. They’re biting on Apple pretty hard though, if you’ll excuse the expression.
They’ll have to make sure they’re not just completely aping Apple. “Answer Bar”? Come on, you can do better than that. You had to call it a bar? Why not Answer Station, or Answertown, or Micropals?
Here are a few selections, but to check out the whole thing, head over to Gizmodo. I notice that little Windows 7 logo is prominent. I don’t like it, but hey, it’s better than a penguin. Sweet flare!
It occurs to me that this could be a mere leaked pitch to Microsoft, though the depth of the presentation suggests it’s heavier than that. Still, if you’re pitching Microsoft for the contract to design their retail stores, you go in heavy. They’ve been confirmed as real by Microsoft, though they are early plans and nothing in them is guaranteed to be in the real stores.