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Microsoft Corp. has been hyping its new Windows 7 operating system, which goes on sale next week, but the company is also planning to quietly take the wraps off another big gamble: its first retail stores.
微软(Microsoft Corp.)一直在大肆宣传下周即将上市的Windows 7操作系统，但该公司同时还在暗中筹备揭开一场大冒险：开设首批零售店。

The software maker is putting the finishing touches on a store in Scottsdale, Ariz., and expects to open it for business on or within days of the launch of the new operating system next Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
据知情人士透露，微软正在对亚利桑那州斯科茨代尔的商店进行最后的装修，预计将在新的操作系统发布后几天内开业。新操作系统将于下周四发布。

The store's spacious floor plan will showcase everything from laptops running Windows 7 to mobile phones running Microsoft software to Xbox 360 game consoles, which customers will be able to play on a 94-inch screen in the store, this person said.
美国亚利桑那州一个在建的微软零售店。该知情人士说，这间商店十分宽敞，将会展示运行Windows 7的笔记本电脑、运行微软软件的手机、Xbox 360游戏机等众多产品，顾客可以在店内的94英寸大屏幕上玩游戏。

Microsoft also expects to open a second store in a mall in Mission Viejo, Calif., in the next few weeks, with plans to slowly roll out more if the first ones are successful, according to the person familiar with the matter.
知情人士表示，微软还希望接下来的几周在加州Mission Viejo的一个购物中心内开设第二家门店，如果首批商店获得成功，微软计划慢慢推出更多商店。

The stores are a clear nod to Apple Inc.'s success in retail. They also underscore the lengths to which Microsoft is willing to go to connect with consumers after stumbling in recent years with products such as Windows Vista, an operating system plagued by early technical problems that helped Apple gain ground with the Macintosh.
这些商店显然是肯定了苹果(Apple Inc.)在零售方面的成功。它们也凸显出微软近年来在Windows Vista等产品上受挫后愿意在与顾客联系方面所做的努力。Windows Vista操作系统早期的技术问题层出不穷，结果帮助了苹果的Macintosh发展壮大。

It's no coincidence that Microsoft is timing its first store's opening with the release of Windows 7, an operating system that has garnered positive buzz among reviewers.
微软将首家商店开业的时间选在Windows 7发布之际并非巧合。Windows 7得到了评论人士的普遍好评。

'Our customers have told us they want more choice, more value and better service, and that's what we'll deliver through our Microsoft Stores,' said David Porter, Microsoft's corporate vice president of retail stores.
微软负责零售商店业务的副总裁波特(David Porter)说，顾客告诉我们，他们想要更多的选择、更高的价值和更好的服务，这正是我们将通过微软的商店提供的。

But entering the retail business is riskier for Microsoft than it was for Apple. While Apple had fewer potential business conflicts because it had such weak support from retailers when it opened its first store in 2001, Microsoft depends on existing partners in the retail business that could be threatened by the company's expansion into their turf. Microsoft's hardware partners could also be angered by its decisions about which devices to stock and which to exclude from its store shelves.
但较之苹果，进入零售业务对于微软来说风险更高。苹果面临的业务冲突较小，因其2001年开设第一家商店里并没有得到零售商的太多支持，而微软在零售业务方面则依赖现有合作伙伴，微软扩张到这些合作伙伴的地盘可能对它们造成威胁。微软需要决定哪些设备需要备货，哪些不会在商店货架上展示，这种情况也可能激怒其硬件方面的合作伙伴。
Nick Wingfield