Opinion: Microsoft stores never really made sense anyway

The showroom at a Microsoft store sits empty on June 26, 2020 in Corte Madera, California. Microsoft announced that it plans to close all of its 83 brick-and-mortar stores and switch to an online only platform. — AFP

Microsoft Corp was never going to rival Apple Inc in retail, or gain much from it. The coronavirus pandemic provided a good opportunity to face that fact and throw in the towel.

On June 26, the software giant announced it will permanently close all of its Microsoft Store brick-and-mortar locations. The company’s stores, which were primarily based inside malls, were temporarily shuttered in late March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.