Microsoft Partners with BestBuy to Showcase Products

It looks like Microsoft is going to join Samsung and try to expand its retail sales by opening up stores in hundreds of Best Buy locations across the U.S. and Canada.

The company expects the move will provide better presence in the market by giving them a place to showcase its devices and software to the public.

Microsoft announced its partnership with Best Buy on Thursday saying it will open 500 stores in the U.S. and 100 in Canada. AppleInsider reports Best Buy will be adding 1,200 new employees to staff these new Microsoft Stores.

Each store is expected to feature the latest Microsoft PCs, laptops and the company's Surface tablet. The back wall of each store will likely be used for software and accessories. Most exciting is the "ecosystem section" that will show customers Windows products in use during real life scenarios.

Earlier this year, Samsung and Best Buy made a similar deal to house "Samsung Experience Shops" throughout BestBuy stores that would showcase their products as well. Samsung's deal includes the creation of significantly more stores than Microsoft with 1,400 Samsung Experience Shops expected to open. Not to be outdone, what Microsoft's stores lack in number, they make up for in the size of each of their stores. The L.A. Times reports each store from Samsung is no bigger than 460 square feet, making them appear tiny when compared to Microsoft's minimum 1,500 square feet minimum. The biggest Microsoft store will be 2,200 square feet.

Microsoft currently owns and operates 68 retail stores across North America. Perhaps increasing the number of stores and the degree of exposure that Microsoft products will now have to everyone who sets foot in a BestBuy, will give the company the shot in the arm that it needs to boost sales in a few underperforming areas and to give the general public a little more experience with display models of the no-so-well-received Windows 8.