IDG News Service - Microsoft Corp. has quietly launched a new online store where U.S. customers can buy its software and hardware products.
The U.S. Microsoft Store launched on Thursday, but customers in the U.K., Germany and Korea have already been using Microsoft store sites.
"With this launch, our customers in the U.S. are able to buy first-party software and hardware directly from Microsoft offered in a comprehensive online catalog," said Trevin Chow, Microsoft's senior program manager, in a blog post about the site launch.
Online shoppers in the U.S. have been able to buy and download some Microsoft software from the Windows Marketplace. But some Microsoft hardware, like the Xbox, that had been available only from third-party retailers is now for sale in the Microsoft Store.
People will be able to re-download software products that they buy for as long as Microsoft supports the product, which is typically five years, Chow said. Customers can also copy the software onto disks for future access.
Microsoft will store product keys for buyers, who will be able to access the keys online if they need to reinstall the software.
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