Is Microsoft coming to Fifth Avenue, Manhattan? That was the question posed by a recent New York Daily News article, which discussed Microsoft’s supposed negotiations to open a retail store on the busiest shopping street in the country.

The plan would make sense. Not only would opening a store on Fifth Avenue give Microsoft a finger on the pulse of what is, more or less, the shopping capital of the western world, but it would also give the company yet another chance to compete directly with tech industry rivals, Apple. Apple Stores are major retail draws everywhere, and the company’s Fifth Avenue location is arguably its most famous and iconic. The Apple Store on Fifth Avenue is a giant glass cube, with a central staircase that takes customers down into subterranean levels where products are on display.

If Microsoft does go through with opening a retail store on Fifth Avenue, then the design of the store will at least be a lot less flashy and progressive than Apple’s nearby location. The building Microsoft is looking to rent is a more modest two-story space more along the main drag of Fifth Avenue. The old-fashioned building has 8,700 square feet of space and was most recently occupied by Fendi, a “Italian luxury fashion house” that moved on from Fifth Avenue for a different location on Madison Avenue.

A location on Fifth Avenue would almost undoubtedly be good for Microsoft. The street is a hub for tourism, and a big-brand Microsoft retail store on the block would see a lot of traffic. Furthermore, the competition between an Apple Store and a Microsoft store in one of the biggest shopping centers in the world would be explosive, to say the least.

Microsoft does have a few things to think about before signing on for the Fifth Avenue space, though. First of all, Microsoft is not quite as reliant on products as Apple is, with items like the Surface Pro tablet paling in comparison to the iPad and the iPhone in popularity. Secondly, rental rates on Fifth Avenue are exorbitant to say the least, with some recent deals breaking down to costs of $3,500…per square foot.