Microsoft set to open its first Canadian store in Toronto

The Toronto Star has just reported that Microsoft has applied for building permits to open its first retail store in Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall. While the fact that Microsoft even has stand-alone stores is news to us, it seems they are already pretty well established in the United States, with 20-odd stores set up across the country. News of the store opening comes soon after Microsoft launched its new tablet, the Microsoft Surface, earlier this week, stating that the product would only be sold through official Microsoft channels. A storefront in Toronto means Canadian customers won’t be restricted to purchasing the Surface online, a strategic move for Microsoft as it attempts to draw customers away from other popular tablets, like RIM’s BlackBerry Playbook and Amazon’s Kindle (but really we suspect that it just wants to stick it to Apple’s iPad).