Microsoft launches holiday pop-up stores

Microsoft plans to open 32 temporary pop-up stores during the holiday shopping season to help boost sales of its upcoming Windows 8 and other products.

None of the stores are in Washington state, where the company has several permanent outlets including Bellevue Square and University Place, but one is planned for Portland, Ore. and Vancouver, BC.

The news comes just weeks ahead of the launch of Windows 8, the major overhaul of the company’s flagship operating system. Microsoft is also launching its own tablet PC, the Surface, and a new version of Windows Phone during what’s being called one of the most important periods for the company in recent years.

Here’s the list of planned locations for the U.S. and Canada pop-up stores, according to ZD Net :

Aventura Mall (Aventura, FL)
Beachwood Place (Beachwood, OH)
Cherry Creek Shopping Center (Denver, CO)
Dadeland Mall (Miami, FL)
Eaton Centre (Toronto, Ontario)
Fashion Mall at Keystone (Indianapolis, IN)
Fashion Show Mall (Las Vegas, NV)
Glendale Galleria (Glendale, CA)
Mall at Green Hills (Nashville, TN)
Mall in Columbia (Columbia, MD)
Metropolis at Metrotown (Burnaby, BC)
Montgomery Mall (Bethesda, MD)
Natick Collection (Natick, MA)
North Star Mall (San Antonio, TX)
Oakridge Centre (Vancouver, BC)
Penn Square Mall (Oklahoma City, OK)
Perimeter Mall (Atlanta, GA)
Roosevelt Field Mall (Garden, City, NY)
Ross Park Mall (Pittsburgh, PA)
Saint Louis Galleria (St. Louis, MO)
San Francisco Centre (San Francisco, CA)
South Shore Plaza (Braintree, MA)
Southpark Mall (Charlotte, NC)
Stonebriar Centre Mall (Frisco, TX)
Streets at Southpoint (Durham, NC)
Time Warner Center: The Shops at Columbus Circle (New York, NY)
Washington Square (Portland, OR)
West Edmonton Mall (Edmonton, Alberta)
Westfarms Mall (West Hartford, CT)
Westfield Garden State Plaza (Paramus, NJ)
Woodland Hills Mall (Tulsa, OK)
Woodlands Mall (Woodlands, TX)