Big Apple's New Apple

Apple Computer (Cupertino, Calif.) opened its first New York City retail location this morning. Just 14 months after the computer company started its retail operation, it has a chain of 31 stores in 17 states.

The New York store, in the SoHo district, will be Apple's largest to date, and will include: two 20-foot Genius Bars; expanded “solution centers” for music, photography and movies (at which visitors can create slide shows of digital photos, make a digital music library, edit a video, burn a custom DVD and play video games; an expanded kids section with 14 computer stations connected to the Internet; a software section with more than 900 software titles for the Mac; and a 46-seat theater, where customers can watch demonstrations of Apple's latest innovations, take classes and attend “Made on a Mac” events.

“Fourteen months after opening our first retail store, our 31 stores are attracting over 100,000 visitors each week,” said Apple ceo Steve Jobs.