Skip to main content

Microsoft to open giant NY City store this month, just a few blocks from Apple’s

Microsoft is set to open a flagship store in Manhattan three weeks today.

The new store is located on Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street, just a five-minute walk from Apple’s famous glass-cube store. It’s the computer giant’s first flagship outlet in the city and its largest to date.

Recommended Videos

Visitors will be able to peruse products from Microsoft and its partners across five floors that cover just over 22,000 feet of floorspace.

Besides interactive areas where you’ll be able to get your hands on the latest Surface tablets, Lumia phones, Xbox machines, and Windows PCs, there’ll also be a so-called Community Theater – a space where visitors can “learn how to use Microsoft’s latest and most popular products in their everyday work and lives” –  and an Answer Desk “for technical questions, troubleshooting and repairs.” While it certainly sounds a lot like Apple’s Genius Bar, Microsoft says Answer Desk staff will be happy to deal with questions about troublesome kit regardless of the make or where it was purchased.

Speaking of staff, David Porter, the company’s VP for retail and online stores, said its new sales team has been selected from the city’s “distinct and diverse five boroughs as well as surrounding areas, and speak more than 19 languages.”

Microsoft’s current retail presence in the city comprises two smaller outlets at Columbus Circle and at Staten Island Mall.

The Redmond-based company is also gearing up to cut the ribbon on its first international flagship store in Sydney, Australia. A quarter of the size of the Manhattan store, the two-floor Aussie effort opens on November 12 and will offer all of the features mentioned above.

Porter is promising “grand opening festivities” for both stores, so if you happen to be in Manhattan at noon on October 26, or Westfield Sydney on Pitt Street Mall at noon on November 12 then you might want to drop by to see what’s happening.

Microsoft’s store announcement comes as the company is expected to unveil a bunch of new gear at a special event in New York City this week, with the new products certain to show up at the new retail locations later this month.

Retail efforts

The company opened its first brick-and-mortar store in 2009 and according to its website now operates more than 100 sites in the U.S. and Canada. However, many are small set-ups that go under Microsoft’s “Specialty Store” classification, denoting a limited selection of products.

Soon after taking the reins at Microsoft in 2014, Satya Nadella noted that expansion was on the cards as far as its retail efforts were concerned.

“The goal of our retail business is to support our consumer business,” Nadella said, adding, “As long as it makes sense for us to expand, economically, we will.”

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Subaru’s electric comeback starts now: Trailseeker EV to debut in NYC
subaru trailseeker ev debut 2026 4  thumb

Subaru is finally accelerating into the EV fast lane. The automaker is officially teasing the 2026 Trailseeker, an all-new electric SUV set to debut at the New York International Auto Show next week. While details are still scarce, the Trailseeker marks Subaru’s long-awaited second entry into the EV space, joining the Solterra — and the expectations couldn't be higher.
The teaser image offers only a glimpse of the Trailseeker’s rear badge and taillight, but the name alone suggests rugged ambitions. It's a clear nod to Subaru’s outdoorsy heritage. But in the EV space, the outdoors belongs to brands like Rivian, whose upcoming R2 compact SUV is already turning heads. The Trailseeker is Subaru’s chance to reassert its identity in an electric age.
Currently, Subaru’s only EV is the Solterra, a joint venture with Toyota that shares a platform with the bZ4X. While the Solterra nails some Subaru essentials — all-wheel drive, spaciousness, and off-road capability — it falls short on key EV metrics. Reviewers have pointed to its modest 225-mile range, slow 100kW charging, and unremarkable acceleration, especially compared to rivals like the Hyundai Ioniq 5  or Ford Mustang Mach-E.
The hope is that Subaru has learned from these criticisms and is poised to deliver a more competitive product. The Trailseeker could either be a variation of a newer Toyota EV (possibly the next-gen C-HR+), or something entirely new under the shared platform strategy. Subaru previously announced that its next three EVs would be co-developed with Toyota, before launching four in-house EVs by 2028.
Given how long Subaru has waited to expand its EV offerings, the Trailseeker has to deliver. It's not just about adding a second electric model — it's about keeping pace with a market rapidly leaving legacy automakers behind. If the Trailseeker can improve on the Solterra's shortcomings and channel that classic Subaru ruggedness into a truly modern EV, it might just be the spark the brand needs.

Read more
I tested the world-understanding avatar of Gemini Live. It was shocking
Scanning a sticker using Gemini Live with camera and screen sharing.

It’s somewhat unnerving to hear an AI talking in an eerily friendly tone and telling me to clean up the clutter on my workstation. I am somewhat proud of it, but I guess it’s time to stack the haphazardly scattered gadgets and tidy up the wire mess. 

My sister would agree, too. But jumping into action after an AI “sees” my table, recognizes the mess, and doles out homemaker advice is the bigger picture. Google’s Gemini AI chatbot can now do that. And a lot more. 

Read more
What happened to Amazon’s inaugural Project Kuiper launch?
Official Imagery for Amazon Project Kuiper.

Amazon is aiming to take on SpaceX’s Starlink internet service using thousands of its own Project Kuiper satellites in low-Earth orbit.

The first Project Kuiper satellites were suppsoed to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida on April 9, but rough weather conditions forced the mission team to scrub the planned liftoff.

Read more