Microsoft could let a hardware company--HP comes to mind--open the stores with lots of Microsoft help and funding. That is probably the best way for Redmond to go into retail storefronts, but it's unlikely to make Dell and about a zillion other HP and Microsoft competitors happy.

Apple started its retail stores from a point of near collapse and, as a boutique brand with monopoly control, could do great things with them selling its high-margin products.

Microsoft is not near collapse anytime soon and has to be much more sensitive to partner and customer reaction to its retail experiments. Where Apple didn't really have to care what people thought, Microsoft has to care very much.

Getting into retail is probably not best done on tippy-toes, which is what Microsoft will have to do.

David Coursey had to go into an Apple store this week, sadly to take his beloved MacBook Pro in for repair. Commiserate with him by writing to: .