Right now, if you want a Surface tablet, you've got to be lucky enough to have a Microsoft retail store nearby, or just place your order online through the company's website. While adequate, that's hardly what we'd call bold retail placement, and considering the less-than-stellar reception the Surface RT version has seen, it probably couldn't hurt Microsoft any to expose the tablet to a wider audience. To that end, rumors suggest that Microsoft is just a matter of days away from starting a big Surface retail push, getting the tablet out onto the selves of non-Microsoft stores.

Supposedly, this was Microsoft's plan all along, but it's decided to move up the timetable, rather than wait until 2013 to bring the Surface to other retailers. To start with, Microsoft is expected to expand Surface sales in this manner in countries that lack a Microsoft retail presence; that could be big news for Surface sales in Europe.

Later, once the Surface Pro is ready to arrive, Microsoft will reportedly try the same sort of thing in the US, making buying a Surface model as convenient as a trip to the local big-box retailer.

Source: ZDNet, WindowsITPro