Here in rural Parksville, British Columbia the small, aging independent stores have the whiff of extinction.

With more and more people shopping online, what’s the future of retail?

… I’d guess stores will be more like car dealerships, where people can try before they buy.

In May of 2001, Apple opened its first retail outlet store in Tysons Corner, Va. It was immediately met by critics and the typical roster of Apple-haters with predictions of doom and massive financial losses. Eight years later, Apple has more than 255 retail stores worldwide, and are the darling of the retail computer industry. So what makes them so successful? …

to read why, click through to the Apple Blog – Apple Retail Store Success: It Ain’t Rocket Science

First Apple Store in Beijing

It is fun to visit and hang out in the larger Apple stores.

A pleasure.

Not everyone is thrilled with their famed customer service, however.

click image for details on this broken laptop