[Richard Kimball]

I don't know about Rat Shack, haven't been in one in years. The other retailers started selling Apples when their market share went up, and that was after the Apple Stores opened. Best Buy quit selling Apple for a while because when Apple came out with the different colored iMacs, Best Buy only wanted to stock a few of the colors. Apple refused, and BB quit selling them. This was before the Apple Stores, and I suspect Jobs may have engineered the break because he was planning the Apple stores.

I got my first iMac at CompUSA, and bought it in spite of the sales people. I think Walmart and BB see a niche because Apple is being careful not to oversaturate with Apple Stores, so I get some of my stuff at BB, cause the nearest Apple Store is about 100 miles away.

BTW, another poster said MS just keeps getting bigger. True, but almost all their profits still come from Windows and Office. Zune is a money pit. XBox, I'm not sure, but when the last version came out, I think they were selling each box for a $200 loss, hoping to make it up with software sales. I don't know where that branch is financially.

[Spktyr]

I believe that the xBox division posted a ginormous loss because of all the repairs they’re having to make to their xBox 360s (google: red ring of death).

[SunkenCiv]

I got my first iMac at CompUSA, and bought it in spite of the sales people.

That was my experience with CompUSA also, even tthough the local store did have the Mac ghetto. The "kid" (this past year I noticed he is getting some gray) who repped for Apple at the CompuUSA now works at Best Buy (28th and Beltline), in their version of the Apple ghetto. At least BB puts the Apple area right at the front corner of their computer hardware area. :')