When Steve Jobs, the “wizard”, announced in 2001 that he would open the first Apple stores, observers and analysts pounced on him. It was the era when the manufacturer Gateway was cooling down its “offline” establishments venture, when Dell was winning by a landslide with its direct Internet sales model, and no one predicted what would be another great idea from Jobs. Back then, Apple’s leading man declared that when he arrives home with a gift for his children, he hopes for a smile as a sign of appreciation. “I can’t imagine giving a smile to the UPS delivery man”, he said ironically. With this example, he was defending his theory that the spectacular, simple, and terrific Apple stores, such as the ones in New York and London, are a tribute to the customers, to whom they owe a smile of appreciation.

With their famous “Genius Bars” –those corners where talented experts offer free consultation to customers-, the 180 Apple stores have had more than 21 million visitors in just the first quarter of this year, totaling sales of 855 million dollars, which is an increase of 34% as compared to the same quarter last year.

Meanwhile, Sony, which has tried to emulate Apple’s success, has not been able to get their almost 40 “Sony Style” establishments off the ground. Located in the most prestigious corners of the most frequented malls in the United States, the Sony stores have not achieved what experts call Apple’s “emotional connection”, despite offering a much more extensive range of products. It’s not surprising that Sony refuses to release official figures regarding the business its retail venture is generating.

Source: The New York Times