Late last month, Microsoft filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to protect the image you see at the right. The class status for the application covers "retail store services and online retail services," along with a lengthy list of products that run the gamut from computer hardware to peripherals to accessories and clothing.
Buzz for branded Microsoft stores has been building since February, when the company first announced its formal intentions to open its own brick-and-mortar locations. In July, a company spokesperson told PC World that the stores would be "right next door to Apple stores this fall."
UPDATE: A Microsoft spokesperson sent us this photo, which was taken at The Shops at Mission Viejo, in Mission Viejo, Calif. The barricade in the picture went up this week.
Microsoft is now hiring for this location, as well as a second location in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is accepting applications for the stores at careers.microsoft.com.
