At 10pm on the 25th of October, Microsoft launched its latest store in the tourist Mecca of Times Square. It's mission: to sell the new Surface tablet to as many people as it could find who had the cash to spare.
Opened by a trio of gigantic scissors, and Steven Sinofsky the store is, currently, a little bit of a pop-up, with the firm refusing to confirm if it will be staying at the central-Manhattan location on not. Presumably, if it continues to sell devices, the firm will be happy to keep it there.
On launch night, it was busy enough. Staff were limiting access to the waiting crowds, although Pocket-lint was allowed to jump the queue and bask in the ambience of the new shop. We could even have bought a Surface, had we felt flush enough.
The experience of the store was good though. Staff were friendly, well-trained and happy to help. There were demos of the Surface, and plenty of space to play with one if you were considering a purchase. There were even Apple-style high-fives on offer, as you entered the store.
And that wasn't the only thing that was "borrowed" from Apple. The Cupertino firm has clearly been a big influence on Microsoft, with the firm even using similar-style name badges for its staff.
But there was some unique stuff too. For one, the whole electronic sales system looked to be running a customised version of Windows. It was very slick, and we didn't hear anyone complaining about it crashing either. Which is good news for Microsoft.
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