The OS X Faq Web site has photos of Thursday’s press event at the SF store, and an mp3 audio version of the presentation that V-P for Retail Ron Johnson gave the press. During the interview, Johnson said their "very first priority" back in 2000 was to open a San Francisco store, but waited for the perfect location that provided great visibility.

He talked about visitor traffic, which averages 1,000 persons per store, per day. He noted that $1 out of every $7 in revenues is now generated by the retail stores. He said people like the stores because they’re not just a place to buy, but a neighborhood place to come–"Everybody that comes to our stores feels welcome." He mentioned "rapid repair" in-store, which now averages just under two days. Starting April 1st, Apple will offer in-store guaranteed next-day repair service for "pros." He said Apple had 1,352 applicants for the SF store, and hired 70 (during 2003 they had 16,438 retail applicants overall). Half the employees have "strong pro experience," Johnson said 35 store employees are trained on Photoshop, Final Cut Pro and similar software. He noted the theater seats are the same style used in Pixar’s theater.

"And if there’s one message I’d like to leave you, I want you to feel comfortable in knowing that this is truly more than a store. We’re here to sell a lot computers and a lot of iPods. But the way we do that is by being just a great member of the community. And this is really a place to get help, to learn, to try, to gather, to surf the net, and to buy products," Johnson said.