The Wall Street Journal reported today that Google plans on opening up a brick and mortar retail outlets throughout the United States to sell Android products, validating some of the elements of 9to5google's similar article last week. While the WSJ article doesn't cite an open date, the unconfirmed 9to5google source hinted that we could see the search engine's first store as soon as Holiday 2013.
Image Credit: Jon Russell
While this would be the standalone Google store to open up shop, it won't be the search giant's first foray into the retail world — the company currently maintains hundreds of Chromebook pop-up stores in Best Buy outlets across the country and manages online sales for all Nexus products. Neither report explicitly listed product stock or confirmed elements, but it seems that everything from Android-powered smartphones to Google-branded apparel to the much-hyped Google Glass may be available within these stores.
Google is finally picking up the retail mantle, which has worked for tech companies at varying levels of success. It's difficult to find a mall or cross a few metro streets without running into an Apple store now, while Microsoft still owns a handful of outlets for their own point of sale. Further details are still murky, but expect Google to bundle its first opening with a big debut -- the aforementioned Google Glass, perhaps?
What do you think of the Google store? Let us know in the comments.
Lauren Hockenson is a tech reporter and 8-bit enthusiast who dreams of being a wizard. She can be found on MyIGN at lhockenson or on Twitter at @lhockenson.
Source : ign[dot]com
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