Microsoft opened its ninth retail store in Atlanta on Thursday. Microsoft’s ninth retail store is located in the Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia. Microsoft partnered with American Idol winner Scotty McCreery, as well as Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart and James Durbin to promote the opening. Each of the first 150 people who visit the Microsoft Store on May 27 will receive two complimentary concert wristbands and a gift bag. Each wrist bands provides premier-viewing access to a performance by American Idol winner Scott McCreery. The next 800 people to visit the store will each receive two premier-viewing wristbands to the performance. Additional general admission wristbands will be given out one-per-person too.

Microsoft also plans to open a new store in Houston next month. Microsoft’s tenth retail store will be located in the Houston Galleria Mall in Houston, Texas. Following tradition, Apple also has a retail store inside the same mall. Microsoft is also planning a new store in Los Angeles during the summer.

Microsoft launched its eighth retail store in California recently. Microsoft also launched its seventh retail store just 15 minutes from the company’s headquarters in Bellevue. The software giant also launched its biggest retail store in the Mall of America in November. The store, which is 8,600 total square feet, is directly opposite an Apple store. Microsoft also has the two stores located in Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California, and a third store in Park Meadows Mall – Lone Tree, Colorado. Microsoft also has stores in San Diego and the recently opened Oakbrook store. Microsoft’s Mall of America store saw long queues as customers scrambled for freebies and the recently launched Kinect for Xbox 360.

Microsoft is also rumored to be launching stores in New York and Orlando later this year too. The Microsoft Stores offer all of the Microsoft products found through online retailers and inside major retail chains, including keyboards and mice, Windows 7, Xbox 360 and many more products. Apple currently has 222 stores in the United States alone, and 287 total stores worldwide, including 27 in the UK and 14 in Canada.