By Brian Womack, Bloomberg
Google
Google Inc. (GOOG) is opening showrooms in six U.S. cities, promoting its latest products and stepping up retail efforts against Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) as the year-end holiday shopping season gets under way.
Called Winter Wonderlabs, the outlets feature products such as Nexus 7 tablets, Chromebook computers and Chromecast video-streaming devices, the company said on a new website yesterday. Consumers can order the gadgets online after looking at the wares. The stores also feature a large snow globe that lets customers take videos of themselves, complete with fake snow.
The operator of the world’s most-popular search engine is investing more resources to bolster its position in hardware and joins Intel Corp. (INTC) this year in rolling out showrooms to promote products. Microsoft has opened almost 50 stores after Apple found success with its retail outlets, where customers can purchase iPhones, iPads and Macs and also learn more about using the devices.
Read the full story by Brian Womack from Bloomberg.
