Kevin Turner

At the conference held by Microsoft for global partners, COO Kevin Turner said that the...

Microsoft is continuing full speed ahead with its plan to open more brick-and-mortar retail stores. The company will be opening 75 Microsoft stores in the next two years to three years, Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner told attendees of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference.

An internal battle is raging at Microsoft over whether and how fast the company should open more retail stores. According to sources close to the company, CEO Steve Ballmer and COO Kevin Turner are both hot on the idea of matching — or even surpassing—  Apple's retail presence of over 300 stores. The stores are a big reason for Apple's success in the last decade, as they give customers opportunities to play with products like the iPad and iPhone.

Microsoft is planning to open "dozens" of retail stores, beyond the four that currently exist, the company's COO said recently.