The "popup" reference seems to indicate that this will be a temporary store. That's in contrast to Apple and Microsoft, who both have permanent footholds in New York. Still, it's a notable move on Google's part. Following its earlier "Made by Google" marketing materials -- which included billboard posters and mysterious, rectangular statues -- the company seems serious about advertising its new hardware. That's important if Google is going to fight Apple's iPhone and Amazon's Echo effectively. As we've seen with companies like Sony and HTC, it's not enough to simply build great products -- they have to be marketed heavily too.

Google has experimented with stores before. While Google Glass was still a curiosity, the company experimented with some showroom-style installations. Since then, it's also set up a store-within-a-store as part of a Currys PC World in London. A retail presence like Apple's seems unlikely -- but that could soon change if the Pixel struggles in carrier stores.