Apple reported quarterly revenues of $3.24 billion, down slightly from the previous quarter, but up from $2.014 billion from the same quarter of 2003. Profit was $290 million, compared to $295 million from the previous quarter, and $61 million from Q2 2003.

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Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer called the Retail segment results "terrific," saying revenues were $571 million, up $10 million from the previous quarter, and profit was $42 million, down slightly from $45 million from the previous quarter. Average store revenue was $5.6 million, down slightly from $5.9 from the previous quarter. Two new stores opened during [...]

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Exec. V-P Tim Cook said Apple shipped some Mac Minis to Best Buy during the last quarters, and all Best Buy stores started selling them on April 1st, accompanied by a Sunday supplement newspaper ad. "We are continuing to look at our channel strategy," to find retailers that offer a "high-quality buying experience" for Apple [...]

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Interestingly, Apple said "direct" sales–those through its own retail stores, the on-line store, iTunes Music Store and U.S. education–increased to 48% during the quarter, compared to 44% in the year-ago quarter.

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img src=”http://www.ifoapplestore.com/photos/hot.gif” alt=”” height=”10″ width=”24″ border=”0″> The Apple retail stores will be Ground Zero for the introduction of OS X Tiger, Fri. April 29th. Traditionally, the stores close at 5 p.m. for preparation, and then re-open at 6 p.m. to a waiting line of Macintosh enthusiasts. Check Apple’s OS X Web page for the expected [...]

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Several future store locations are now sporting black-painted plywood while construction work begins, including the Green Hills (Nashville) store, which is next to Tiba Spa in the southwest corner of the mall atrium.

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Construction continues on the Bullring (UK) store, but several rough spots are being sanded out, delaying the grand opening beyond the original date. The latest info is a late April opening.

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The AppleInsider site has some photos of the future Mid-Town (NYC) retail store, which is essentially a hole-in-the-ground right now.

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Former retail store employee Eric Gruber has posted an account of his six-month, part-time tour working at the Country Club Plaza (Mo.) Apple store. It isn’t a "tell all," but rather reveals some of the more cultural and social aspects of the job, and concludes with some thoughts on how Apple might improve.

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Speaking of check-out, the POS device has changed to a more streamlined device, with updated processing screens, and a new stylus holder.

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My local Best Buy stores haven’t yet displayed the Mac Mini, but a poster on the HT Mini Web site has shared photos of an actual in-store display, essentially the same as depicted in Best Buy’s Sunday supplement ad. Now, do the sales personnel know anything about the Mac Mini?

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Red tags have sprouted on certain high-value (and perhaps high-shoplifted) software in the retail stores. While the boxes heft just like the real thing, they apparently don’t include the necessary CDs. When you bring one to the checkout for purchase, it will be exchanged for a "real" version stored in the lock-up.

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A Seattle newspaper writes of the new social techniques of meeting members of the opposite sex, which apparently includes hanging around an Apple store.

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I’ve waited almost 18 months for my prediction of a retail store at the Irvine Spectrum Center (S. Calif.) and now it’s come true–the lease is signed. The mall is part of a 5,000-acre development that includes a tech park and entertainment center, not far from the existing South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island stores [...]

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Two more stores have been confirmed: NorthPark Center (Tex.) is along U.S 75 northeast of Dallas, has been undergoing an expansion, and is rated the #1 most popular Metroplex attraction. Macerich has a 50% stake in the mall, which has 120 stores. The Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham (Mass.) southeast of Boston has reinvigorated the [...]

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