In Risky Move, Microsoft to Open NYC Flagship Right Near Apple'sThe software company's first Manhattan store will be located at 677 Fifth Avenue, a few blocks south blocks from Apple's flagship store.

AMicrosoftstore is coming to Fifth Avenue.

While the company currently has more than 100 retail stores in North America, its Fifth Avenue location will be its first in Manhattan, the company confirmed toThe Wall Street Journal.

"As our first flagship store, it will serve as the centerpiece of our Microsoft Stores experience," David Porter, corporate vice president for Microsoft retail stores, wrote in ablog post. "This is a goal we've had since day one—we were only waiting for the right location. And now we have it."

The location is expensive, prestigious and certainly makes a statement. It's also just a few blocks away fromApple'sflagship New York store, where lines for new Apple product launches often run blocks deep.

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For a company often accused of being perpetually late to the game, Microsoft's decision to open its Manhattan flagship store a few blocks away from Apple's flagship, which opened over eight years ago, is an interesting choice.

我自第一家微软位置n 2009, the software company has been steadily ramping up the number of physical stores it operates. While a large percentage of what Microsoft sells are services, not physical items, customers can purchase products such as Surface Pro, Windows Phones, Xbox One at its retail stores, as well as visit a "help desk" (pretty much the equivalent of Apple's "genius bar").

Still, in this respect, Microsoft is chasing Apple, which opened its first retail store in 2001 and currently has more than 250 stores in the U.S. alone.

No word yet on when we can expect the Fifth Avenue location to open, but the companywill launch new retail storesin Toronto, Tulsa, OK Bethesda, MD and Cerritos, CA before the year's end.

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