Perhaps it was inevitable. With the rampant success of the Apple retail stores, and Microsoft’s own Apple store clone (gee, cloning Apple innovations, how very traditional), I suppose it was only a matter of time before Google got in on the game. Rumour has it that the company has filed for the permits to open their own retail branch on campus at their European corporate headquarters, located in Dublin.
If I could be located in Dublin, I would be, too.
Don’t get your hopes up too high yet though, Android fanboys – the permitting application only calls for “Google merchandise” to be sold in the store. While it’s possible that this could refer to gadgets and gizmos galore, it’s more likely that “merchandise” refers to the sorts of knick-knacks and mementos that Google already sells through http://www.GoogleStore.com, its online vending center. That means things like coasters, knapsacks, towels, and the like – all branded with Google, YouTube, Android or Chrome logos.
Google already does maintain a couple of retail spaces. There is a Google merchandise store at the California headquarters, although it’s for employees only. And there have been trial stores selling laptops and tech gear, though always in collaboration with an established retail partner.
It’s not hard to see the appeal of retail for Google, given the success that Apple has had (and, to a lesser extent, Microsoft). Even Amazon – quintessential retail killer that it is – is getting into the retail business. But Google really does have its hand in plenty of industries as it is, all of them at least loosely related to its core business of organizing the world’s data. Retail would be a pretty big departure for Google, and a it’s not the kind of industry that one can half-heartedly attempt. It would be quite an unusual world to see Sears and J.C. Penny’s replaced by the very companies that have been driving them out of business!
Related posts:
- Apple Store – Now Interactive
- Google and Motorola Mobility – Together At Last
- Google Music Goes Big
- Apple’s Ecosystem Lacks Social
- Ice Cream Sandwich Driving Google+ Forward?
This entry was posted on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 3:36 am and is filed under Cartoon Songs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.