signor_john - 12:13 am on Feb 14, 2009 (gmt 0)

I still find it surprising that Mac stores can make it at the retail level, but you go to the mall and every volvo driver and their kid is in there trying out ipods and ultra thin laptops.

They don't have to be profitable. They exist to promote the brand. (At least, that's what I'm told by my son, who works in commercial real estate. He gave me that explanation when I wondered why North Face, an outdoor-clothing manufacturer, had just built an expensive retail store in my trendy city neighborhood.)