Inside the Windows 8 pop-up store that's hitting Stockholm this Christmas

Last week, Microsoft and Intel opened a pop-up showroom in the Swedish capital of Stockholm to give Swedes a taste of the latest hardware running Windows 8.

While there's still no word on when the Surface will hit the Nordics, Microsoft and Intel are doing their best to get Swedes to consider a variety of Windows 8 slates and all-in-ones from the likes of HP, Samsung, Acer, Asus and Lenovo.

Microsoft has gone with a tasteful, but almost too polite, design for its showroom on Birger Jarlsgatan, in swanky downtown Stockholm.

People walked past the store mostly without turning their heads to see what was inside, while the signage out  front could easily be missed from 20 metres away.  

This was the store of Swedish glass-maker Orrefors until it recently went bust, leaving a space for Microsoft and Intel to take the place temporarily. The site costs about 600,000 SEK ($100,000) a month to rent. 

The showroom comes as Microsoft attempts to break the iOS-Android stranglehold on the tablet market. Perhaps to make a point, none of the large touchscreen devices like this 27" Aspire 7600U were displayed with keyboards. (You can find CNET's review of the device here.)

Other Acer hardware on show at the pop-up store included this Iconia W510.

Here's Acer's W700 tablet with a docking station on display. The tablet has a Micro-HDMI output and a USB port, while the dock includes three more USB ports. CNET's review of the hefty 11.6-inch tablet can be found here.  

Also on show was the HP Envy23, the 23" all-in-one launched earlier this year.

Swedish HP execs were also on hand to demonstrate the recently announced HP ElitePad, a 10.1-inch slate with Gorilla Glass aimed at the business crowd.

Lenovo's Windows 8 hardware was also available at the showoom, including this convertible holding a Yoga pose.

Swedes wanting to buy any of the devices on show were able to make their purchases from Swedish retailer Dustin, who had booths on site despite being an online-only company.