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Showcasing Surface Tablet and Windows 8 at the Palo Alto Microsoft Store

Blending Devices with the Cloud for Home and the Enterprise

By Rand Morimoto on Mon, 12/17/12 - 1:01am.

I had an opportunity to speak at the Microsoft Store in Palo Alto, California, this afternoon and demonstrate the Microsoft Surface Tablet and Windows 8. I can't say I've had an opportunity to spend a lot of time in one of the Microsoft Stores, so this was a great experience for me to get to know the Microsoft Store and the various products at the store!

Being involved in the consulting, implementation, and support of Microsoft technologies for almost 30 years now, as Microsoft solidifies their business model from being a software company to an organization that also sells devices like tablets and phones, it's great to be able to expand into the device side of things.

The first time I passed by a Microsoft Store in a mall months ago, the place was completely empty. I actually felt bad for the people working there, as the place looked like a ghost town. But with the release of Windows 8, the onslaught of advertising on Windows 8 over the past few months, and the product placement in so many TV programs, Microsoft has definitely garnered interest for folks to walk in and check out the Microsoft Store and the product out on display.

I also popped into a Microsoft Store down in Los Angeles yesterday to get a good insight to the stores before my presentation today in Northern California. One thing I found in BOTH locations is that the employees at the Stores are very friendly, eager to answer questions and lend a hand. I'm not looking to make this a commercial for Microsoft Stores, but really just a real-world experience that impressed me and changed my impression of the Stores. If you haven't been in one in a while, haven't checked out the Microsoft Surface tablets or Windows Phone 8 devices firsthand, have only based your impressions and beliefs on "things you've read from others," I'd suggest you go make a decision on your own. This past weekend experience has greatly improved my impression of Microsoft's devices and the Stores...

The session I did at the Microsoft Store was on "What's New in Windows 8" as well as "Maximizing Personal and Business Use of Microsoft's Latest." I posted a PDF of my session up on my SkyDrive.

Handful of photos on this blog post from the event...