Microsoft store to open in Whitman mall

Microsoft will open a new store at Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station, equipped with a 94-inch screen to play Xbox 360, a wraparound digital wall and a theater with a 103-inch screen.

But the shop's purpose is not so much about its looks as it is about the experience, said Microsoft spokesman Jonathan Adashek.

"We're trying to create this longer-lasting relationship with customers and simplify the buying experience they will have," Adashek said. "We're focusing on that last mile with our customer -- one customer, one relationship at a time. We see the store as a way to do that." The company declined to give an opening date.

Microsoft has been gradually opening stores across the country over the last several years, and last month it introduced Surface, a tablet computer to compete with Apple's iPad. Retail experts say the stores are a way the company can showcase its products and market the company's image.

Microsoft likely is looking to recreate what Apple's retail stores did for its brands -- albeit on a smaller scale, said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst with the NPD Group, a Port Washington-based market research firm. Microsoft currently has 20 stores, and seven are scheduled to open soon, according to the company's website.

"This is just as much an experiment as it is a brand showcase," Cohen said. "This is not just to sell products but to sell the image of the company. The brand is trying to connect you to a portfolio of products they are trying to introduce."

So along with the games, software, computers and phones, customers will find technicians and salespeople ready to offer free personal-shopping sessions, personal training and help in troubleshooting problems. The store will hold regular training workshops on Microsoft products in its theater, outfitted with the 103-inch touch screen. Representatives at the Answers Desk will field questions and provide support -- the first 15 minutes free -- for any machine regardless of where it was purchased, Adashek said.

A Business Solutions section will showcase products and services tailored to businesses. The point is to allow customers to find the products that best fit their needs and also help them get the most out of them, Adashek said.

People often purchase software simply because they have used it at work and don't have "a full understanding about what that software can do for them," he said.