Apple Stores buck the trend

I assure you that this post is not just an excuse to use the Wall Street Journal's cool picture of Steve Jobs. No, Nick Wingfield's article about the success of the Apple's retail strategy is well worth the read. Back when Apple first started opening stores I had my doubts. This was the time when Gateway was closing stores left and right, what the heck was Apple doing?

Turns out they were doing the right thing, though not everyone is happy. Third party Apple resellers are miffed because they feel Apple ships new products to its stores first (which it probably does) and they are seeing a decline in business as people flock to the Mothership's outpost in their town.

This article is free at the moment, but it might go behind the Wall Street Journal's paywall at any moment.