A) The apple stores not only aren't increasing mac market share, they aren't even profitable.
B) Apple stores are killing off all the other stores that sell mac products. So if you don't have an apple store around, you're basically buying off the net or from a catalog.

Suffice to say, I'm not terribly interested in yet another useless apple store.

well.. profitably may not be on the up side.. but the main purpose of the AppleStore is acted like a showroom IMHO. Most of the time, I visited to the Bellevue Square AppleStore, I saw Mac users brought their Mac to the Genius Bar for questions or repair. Second, test driving some new Macs. Also shopping for new Macs or iPod.

Having more stores in different cities are important. The current situation, Bellevue Sqaure and one in University Village are not that far away. Of course, the U. Village store is nicer and bigger.

Lastly, I can't wait to see the new store.

That close together still seems rather odd from a business perspective. I mean come on, Apple is not Starbucks.

When is apple going to set up a store in Delaware so we can drive down and get a shiny new G5 without paying sales tax?

Hmm... I'm no MacNN reporter or editor, but Apple has had all positions for an Alderwood Mall locations listed on their jobs Web site since April. That would make a Tukwila location the FOURTH in the Seattle area.

I second z10n's comment. Wow! another Apple store for the Apple faithful to blindly travel too as Apple quietly concentrates all profits to the Apple Mothership. Soon when Apple takes all the business away from independent resellers and catalogs we can enjoy paying full price and having limited choice. I already see my choices going away as what Apple chooses to stock is the only thing anyone seems to carry anymore. I assume this is because the Apple faithful follow the Master and purchase what they are told.

I really am not trying to start anything as I was excited to see Apple open its own stores. Now, after visiting them and their "mall paid" staff I have been disappointed. Yes the stores are beautiful showrooms, but they lack human feeling and warmth. They truly are the GAP for computers. Fact is Apple has not grown market share with the stores, just like Apple did not grow market share with clones. Remember when Apple clones were out and everyone thought "Yeah! we can now have cheap macs and we will rule the world" Well, all that happened is that Apple suffered as the clones sucked market share from Apple themselves and did not grow business. Now Apple is pulling a page from them as they started with their on-line store and now move into retail as well. They are choosing a model that they do not have to give up any profits. Apple makes all the money when they sell a Computer. They do not have to give any to a reseller or cataloger. This is smart for Apple, but is also scary for a consumer as with only one place to get my favorite toys I am sure we will all pay a premium. We will all be solely dependent on Apple for support as well. Sure their will be a few independent "guys that I know" around who will come and fix it, but know one but Apple to actually fix my Computer.

So the next time you choose to purchase from a major corporation such as Apple please try to remember who you are actually hurting. Us as a consuming public. I am all for good competition driving all the Mac sellers to be better, but we all need to wake up and look at the trend. Market share is shrinking and so are the outlets form which we can purchase and service Apple Computers. This scares me.

Again, sorry to rant and I do not intend to start any flame war. I am just calling it like I happen to see it. No whining and no hard feelings. Just the realization of how corporations are taking over with us cheering on the sidelines.

Burl

There is a store planned for Christiana Mall in Wilmington, Delaware to be open within the next six months. It is listed on Apple's retail job listings.

As others have said, the Tukwila store will make four stores in the Seattle area, including the upcoming Lynnwood store, not three.

Here is a list of the stores that will open this year. There maybe more coming, but at least these will likely open by December.

1 - Barton Creek Mall, Austin, Texas (to open on June 12th)
2 - Danbury Fair Mall, Danbury, Connecticut
3 - Shadyside, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4 - Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri
5 - Rosedale Center, Rosedale, Minnesota
6 - Stonestown Mall, San Francisco, California
7 - Santa Rosa Plaza, Santa Rosa, California
8 - Osaka, Japan
9 - Bridgewater Commons Mall, Bridgewater, New Jersey
10 - Rockaway Townsquare Mall, Rockaway, New Jersey
11 - Stoneridge Mall, Pleasanton, California
12 - Victoria Gardens, Rancho Cucamonga, California
13 - Alderwood Mall, Lynnwood, Washington
14 - Christiana Mall, Wilmington, Delaware
15 - Regent Street, London, England
16 - Oakridge Mall, San Jose, California
17 - Carousel Center, Syracuse, New York
18 - Southcenter Mall, Tukwila, Washington

At least nine of the stores will be open by Sept. 30th.

I wonder if this will backfire on them. The Genius Bar has become a support point, but in stores it is prominently displayed. Eventually, Apple stores are going to look like queues for help. That'd be a PR disaster countering the old "it just works" tagline. When you get to the store and have a hard time browsing the store because the people waiting for support, broken Macs in tow, heads will roll in Cupertino for the nightmare.

(This is already starting to happen.. the Santa Monica store sometimes looks like this.)

Good news about Delaware, I'm sure many of us here in Jersey will brave a few hours on the Turnpike and a few tolls to avoid the 6% in sales tax. But the Bridgewater, NJ one is similar to the Seattle-area in the sense that there's already one just up the highway in Edison, NJ at the Menlo Park mall. They're literally 5 minutes from each other.

I don't get it!