Apple’s long-dormant mini-store format will be revived this year for some of the 25-30 stores still to open by the end of September 2006. The midget stores–some as small as 750 square-feet–were inspired by the Mini Cooper auto, according to Steve Jobs when he unveiled the Stanford (N. Calif.) store during an Oct. 16, 2004 press event. There were originally up to 50 mini-stores planned, according to a ThinkSecret tip, including five on college campuses. But just six of the stainless steel-wrapped stores opened on that first day, and another three opened over the next two months. None has opened since.
The stores went through several design changes after they were built, including two very expensive swap-outs of the flooring material, one before the stores opened and another afterwards. A center display table was added to the stores later. Employees and visitors complained about the stores’ tanning salon-style lighting, and the self-service check-out machines turned out to be a bust: they were ergonomically awkward to operate and the POS software was not fully developed. The stores were not necessarily cheaper to lease, since many of the mini-stores were actually installed in full-sized mall spaces. Two of the mini-stores were located in new territories, but the others filled in existing store regions, including the Stanford store, which is located less than 2,500 feet from the existing Palo Alto store. Read my original report on the mini-stores.
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