Microsoft wants to build a new 8,700 sq. ft. retail store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, just a few blocks away from Apple’s cube, the New York Daily News reported today. The two-story building located at 677 Fifth Avenue is currently vacant, but the Redmond-based software giant wants to setup shop near one of its competitors most iconic locations.
Microsoft has been walking in the shadow of Apple’s retail success for years now. In 2009 the company poached George Blakenship from Cupertino’s retail arm to run its own (weirdly similar) stores. Since then, the Microsoft has been taking advantage of open spaces near a few Apple stores to try to get in on the action.
Earlier this year Microsoft ran a special in its stores encouraging shoppers to trade in a MacBook Air in exchange for a sizeable discount on the Surface Pro 3 tablet. Before that the company was offering free subscriptions of its Office 365 service just for walking into the store with an iPad. If Microsoft really does open its doors just a few blocks away from Apple, the competition between the two could start to heat up.
