Compared to Cheesburgers....

I can't help but compare Apple's retail chain to the Wendy's fast-food restaurant empire (I prefer Steak and Shake, but they don't have them in Caifornia!). Wendy's just announced that they'll pare back the number of new restaurants in the coming year, opening just 80 to 110 locations, compared to 122 in the past 12 months. The company now has 6,673 restaurants in the U.S., some owned by franchisees and some by the company itself. Perhaps more to the point, Wendy's said it would be spending $125 million to $155 million on capital expenditures on its own new restaurants, which should total about 50 to 60. That compares to about $210 million that Apple spent on capital expenditures during fiscal 2006. Or maybe it's tough to compare burger joints with Apple stores.