When shopping for gear from the likes of...oh, say, Apple, one tends to head straight to the Apple Store. Not a bad idea, thinks Microsoft, who has now unveiled its own online outlet and duly dubbed it the Microsoft Store.
Available at MicrosoftStore.com, the outlet promises to become a one-stop-shop for all your favourite Microsoft gear. It's already open to the US, UK, Germany and Korea, and will open to Japan, France, Spain and the Netherlands later this year.
According to Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc, the store will offer downloadable software, products relating to Xbox, Zune, Windows and Office, as well as a variety of Microsoft hardware.
It sounds handy, but head over to the UK store and you'll find it to be a barren experience, as shown in the empty-looking store-front:
To make matters worse, Windows Vista Home Premium is charged as a £169.99 download. Putting that into comparison, a retail version can be had for £141.61 from Amazon.co.uk.
A Microsoft Store could be a good idea, but it clearly has some way to go.
Official website: MicrosoftStore.com
