SEATTLE -- Apple must really want to get in Microsoft's face.
That could be one reason Apple plans to open the first branded retail store north of San Francisco in the upscale Bellevue Square Mall, less than two miles from Bill Gates' Medina, Washington, mansion.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the planned expansion into Microsoft's backyard. Jane Rauckhorst, media relations manager for Apple's retail stores, said the company's policy is not to discuss plans for store openings that are more than about two weeks away.
News of the planned expansion broke on Tuesday when Apple posted job openings on its website for several positions in the Bellevue store, including managers, sales clerks and a "Mac Genius" to run the in-store technical support desk.
"We weren't ready to announce it just yet," said Anne Marie Peacock, assistant director of sales and public relations for Bellevue Square. She did confirm that Apple has leased 4,600 square feet for a retail store in the mall.
"They're hoping to open early next summer, but they haven't taken possession of the space yet. Construction determines a lot," Peacock said.
Since May 2001, Apple has opened 50 branded retail stores around the country (including two opening this weekend in Denver and Emeryville, California), Rauckhorst said. A few, like the one in Manhattan, are giant two-story affairs, but for the most part they all follow the same design, with stations emphasizing different applications, such as video and movies, business applications and the like.
Rauckhorst said the stores all have a "Genius Bar" where, among other things, technical support staff can transfer files for PC users switching to Macintoshes -- who account for 40 percent of store sales.
Michael Gartenberg, who tracks Apple as research director for Jupiter Research, said Apple's retail stores have been a success.
While Apple's market share remains "in the low single digits," Gartenberg said, "in a market that's really down, for Apple to be holding their own is really good. Their ability to create a more ubiquitous presence will serve them well. It gives them an opportunity to get some mind share as well as market share, and both are important.
"In the past, you went into a computer store and it was all like IBM, HP and Compaq, with two dusty Macintoshes in the back," he added. "This is an opportunity for them to showcase their product in a way that Apple feels they should be showcased."
It helps, Gartenberg said, that Apple's retail salespeople "actually seem to know what they're talking about."
But what are the prospects of a Mac-only store in Microsoft country?
"Should they open one in Microsoft's backyard? Well, Bellevue is certainly a community where I'm sure you could even find a couple of Mac users," said Gartenberg.
Microsoft spokesman Matt Pilla said that while Apple and Microsoft "have obviously been competitors for a long time, we're also great partners.
"We welcome them to Bellevue Square," Pilla said. "The store is a great place for people to come in and try Office for the Mac."
