With the success of the Apple Stores, it is hardly

surprising that Google may be thinking of getting into bricks

and mortar outlets for its electronic gizmos as well. The

website 9to5Google quoted an “extremely reliable source”

as saying that the first Google Stores will be up and running

by the end of this year.

The report says the objective is to get new Google

Nexus, Chrome, and “especially upcoming products”

directly into the hands of consumers. Google executives

are said to believe that the new – and expensive – Google

Glass will be hard to sell unless potential

buyers have a place to experience it.

That reportedly pushed the top brass to

embrace the Google Store idea.

In a follow-up story by IDG News

Service, analyst Greg Sterling of Opus

Research said Google doesn’t have

as many products as Apple, but it does

have enough to justify a physical retail

presence. He said people will be able to

get a better feel for a product, such as

the cutting-edge Google Glass headset,

by having Google employees demonstrate it for them.