Apple \"mini\" stores debut

Apple today unveiled its new "mini" retail store, an all-new design featuring stainless steel walls and seamless white floors and ceilings. The mini store is half the size of Apple’s smallest store to date, which Apple says will allow it to be placed in a variety of new locations to "introduce Apple’s innovative products to even more customers." Apple will open its first six mini stores this Saturday at 10 a.m. in Palo Alto, CA; San Jose, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Tukwila, WA; Bridgewater, NJ; and Rockaway, NJ. Apple's CEO Jobs Thursday to unveil the new stores at a shopping mall near Palo Alto, marking his first public appearance since he underwent a successful operation on his pancreas in late July.

The stores will feature the full line of Apple portables as well as the iMac G5, Apple's iPods, third-party products, a Genius Bar, and on-site repair on all Apple products.



"Our mini store is a big experience that fits in a small space," said Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice president of Retail. "The mini store's small size will allow us to place stores in a variety of interesting new locations, while retaining innovations like the Genius Bar that have made Apple's retail stores such a hit."

During the first three years of Apple's retail strategy, Apple has successfully located 84 retail stores in the United States and today over half of the US population lives within 15 minutes of an Apple retail store. The mini store is designed to precisely locate additional stores closer to customers to make it even more convenient to purchase products and get help.

by MacNN Staff