When Microsoft looks at the road ahead, it sees Apple. According to a report in the New York Post (registration required unless you go here first), Microsoft is considering One Times Square as a possible location for a flagship retail store.

The Post story goes on to speculate that the move might be a first step toward mimicking Apple's highly successful retail outlets.

Residents of San Francisco might well recall that Microsoft has already dabbled in retail. The company used to have a store called microsoftSF at Sony's Metreon mall. It closed in late 2001.

Wags at AppleInsider.com ask, "What do they have to sell?" Another poster answers, "Virus protection."

Less biased observers suggest the Xbox and boxed Microsoft software will be taking up shelf space. If you ask me, the company would be more than happy to have a place to sell digital-music devices that work with its much-anticipated answer to iTunes.

Microsoft needs something to jump-start its digital-music strategy. Apple has 82% of the online digital-music market, a monopoly roughly comparable to Microsoft's Windows empire.