????距離蘋果( Apple)第一家零售店僅295英尺（約合90米）的地方坐落著一棟空樓,。這棟樓不僅有可能創(chuàng)造歷史,，也有望改變谷歌(Google)體驗的臉面。

????這家8,000平方英尺（約合743平方米）的店面倒是值得好好說說,。但《克萊恩紐約商業(yè)周刊》(Crain's New York Business)報道稱,，谷歌有意將這家位于格林街131號、地處紐約SoHo高檔購物區(qū)的店面作為自己的第一家實體店,，相關協(xié)議據說很快就將簽署完成,。

????谷歌拒絕就這件事發(fā)表評論。但房地產經紀人康索洛向《財富》(Fortune)記者證實,，谷歌近幾個月一直尋求購買一間店面,。盡管身為紐約格拉斯艾麗曼房地產零售集團(Douglas Elliman Real Estate)董事長的康索洛并沒有親自參與這樁交易，但他說,，谷歌一直對距離最大競爭對手只有一個街區(qū)之遙的格林街情有獨鐘,。

????谷歌近期在硬件市場持續(xù)發(fā)力，相繼推出了Nexus平板電腦和智能手機,，Chromebook Pixel筆記本電腦以及Chromecast電視,，很快還將推出穿戴式科技產品谷歌眼鏡(Google Glass)和智能手表。在這種背景下,，開設一家旗艦店對谷歌或許是好事一樁,。

????但弗雷斯特研究公司(Forrester Research)分析師薩查瑞塔?馬爾普魯認為，這些產品是否足以支撐起一家零售店并不是問題的關鍵,。

????馬爾普魯說：“在我看來,，這家零售店介于快閃店( pop-up store)和旗艦體驗目的地之間，前者是一種營銷手法,，后者則是為了帶來真實的使用體驗,。”

????這個店面有可能作為一家谷歌博物館,，每隔幾個星期向公眾展示新產品和創(chuàng)意,。馬爾普魯聲稱,，它更像是那艘沿著西海岸漂浮、神秘莫測的谷歌駁船的陸上版本,，有望成為這家科技巨擘旗下的另一處旅游景點,。

????“人人都喜歡看幕后的創(chuàng)新展示，”她說,?！斑@就像是每隔幾個月在《60分鐘》(60 Minutes)上宣布全新的無人機計劃一樣?！?/p>

????倘若谷歌真在SoHo購物區(qū)開設了一家店面,，那也不是這家公司首次試水零售領域。去年年底,，谷歌借節(jié)假日之際在全美6個城市推出名為Winter Wonderlabs的快閃店,，展示自己的最新產品。許多人推測說,，這個舉動是谷歌開設固定店面的先兆,。

????除了突破性地進軍零售領域以外，谷歌其實也在扮演追趕者的角色,。蘋果公司將自己的硬件和操作系統(tǒng)連接在一起,，打造了一個非常和諧的生態(tài)系統(tǒng)，并由此成為高科技零售領域的開創(chuàng)者,。而微軟公司(Microsoft)和Windows操作系統(tǒng)一直努力嘗試著把自己的設備與軟件驅動的業(yè)務捆綁在一起,。我們很難衡量2012年推出的微軟商店究竟獲得了多大的成功，因為微軟并沒有披露零售業(yè)務的收入,，但微軟制造的硬件遠遠沒有蘋果或谷歌產品那么流行,。

????Just 295 feet down the block from Apple's (AAPL) first retail store sits an empty space that could not only make history but also change the face of the Google (GOOG) experience.

????That's a lot to be said for an 8,000-square-foot storefront, but according to Crain's New York Business, Google is reportedly close to signing a deal to debut its first ever brick-and-mortar store at 131 Greene St. in New York City's trendy SoHo shopping district.

????Google declined to comment for this article. But real estate agent Faith Hope Consolo confirmed to Fortune that Google has been seeking out a space for months. The chairman of New York's Douglas Elliman Real Estate retail group is not involved with the deal, but says Google has been focused on Greene Street, just one block away from its largest competitor.

????A flagship store could serve as a boon to Google as it ramps up efforts to become a hardware player with its products including the Nexus tablet and smartphones, Chromebook Pixel laptop, Chromecast for television, and the forthcoming wearable tech Google Glass and smartwatch.

????But whether that's enough to sustain a retail store isn't the question, according to Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst with consulting firm Forrester Research.

????"To me it's somewhere between a pop-up store, which is a marketing contest, and a flagship experience destination that is intended to bring an experience alive," Mulpuru says.

????The store could serve as a Google museum providing new exhibits and ideas every few weeks. Mulpuru argues it is more akin to an on-land version of the mystery Google barge afloat along the West Coast, providing the tech firm yet another tourist attraction.

????"Everyone is fascinated by the behind-the-scenes innovation showcases," she says. "It's like the equivalent of having the 60 Minutes announcement of the drone every few months."

????A spot in SoHo wouldn't be the company's first testing of the retail space. Late last year Google launched Winter Wonderlabs, or pop-up shops in six cities around the country that showcased its latest products during the holidays, signaling what many speculated as a precursor to a more permanent presence.

????Aside from a groundbreaking foray into retail, Google is also playing catch-up. While Apple pioneered the tech retail space through its harmonious ecosystem connecting its hardware and operating system, Microsoft (MSFT) and Windows struggled with tying its devices into their software-driven business. It's hard to measure the success of the Microsoft store -- which launched in 2012 -- since the company doesn't disclose revenue for its retail operation, but Microsoft is far from making its hardware as popular as Apple or Google.