Former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson spoke earlier this year at his alma mater Stanford University and talked about the early years of Apple retail stores (via ifoAppleStore). Johnson oversaw the development of the Apple Store and is credited with creating the company's distinctive retail experience.


After joining Apple in 2000, Johnson was given complete control over the company's retail project by then-CEO Steve Jobs. The first Apple Stores featured high-speed Internet connections to attract new customers and were originally designed to create a sense of community among Apple users, not necessarily sell products.

“It was a pure play,” Johnson said of the store design. “There was really no compromise on any of the intuition. And I think that’s how the Apple stores connected (with visitors).” Even today, he said, people go to the stores, “just to go. They don’t go to buy. There are so many reasons to come.”

Johnson joined Apple as Senior Vice President of Retail Operations in January 2000 and remained in that role until 2011, when he departed for a CEO position at J.C. Penney. Under his leadership, Apple's retail operations exploded, generating over a $1 billion in annual sales within two years and eventually leading all U.S. retailers in terms of monetary sales per square foot.

Johnson was succeeded by Dixons' John Browett, who served as Apple's retail chief for a short seven months. Apple's retail operations, which now include 425 retail stores in 16 countries worldwide, are now under the leadership of former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, who joined Apple earlier this year. Ahrendts is best known for her transformation of Burberry from a struggling retailer into a global fashion powerhouse.

Top Rated Comments

dauby88 Avatar
135 months ago
I visit the store nearest my home. It was not always this way. There has been an unfortunate turn. I'll give you an example.

Several months ago I stopped in and looked at the iPad Air. A salesperson approached and asked if I had questions. I only had one. How much memory on the Air.

His response "I don't know." I asked him to find someone in the store who had the info. "No one here knows. Nobody knows. Even Apple doesn't know".

I thanked him and left. This store needs a new manager or Apple needs a CEO.
I assume you were asking about RAM, and not SSD memory. Apple doesn't publish how much RAM is in their iOS devices. Only people who read rumor sites would know such an answer so I don't think the salesperson's response was as awful as you're making it out to be. That would have been the response any time you entered any Apple store selling iOS devices. Same if you asked about processor speed.

Whether you think Apple should make RAM (or clock speed) an important spec when selling their iOS devices is another topic, but thinking the store salespeople are terrible because they only discuss specs that Apple releases is silly.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
napabar Avatar
135 months ago
"The first Apple Stores featured high-speed Internet connections to attract new customers and were originally designed to create a sense of community among Apple users, not necessarily sell products."

This and amazing products made Apple store visits wonderful. I seldom left without making a purchase. Now I avoid the Apple store. If I want a hard sell environment with verbal misrepresentations there are always used car lots to visit.

What Apple store are you visiting? I've experienced nothing like that.....ever.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hdgarcia Avatar
135 months ago
I visit the store nearest my home. It was not always this way. There has been an unfortunate turn. I'll give you an example.

Several months ago I stopped in and looked at the iPad Air. A salesperson approached and asked if I had questions. I only had one. How much memory on the Air.

His response "I don't know." I asked him to find someone in the store who had the info. "No one here knows. Nobody knows. Even Apple doesn't know".

I thanked him and left. This store needs a new manager or Apple needs a CEO.

Umm, not really an example of a hard sell. And arguably it isn't misinformation either. Although, saying that APPLE doesn't know it is probably not really accurate, it is try that they generally don't publish this information and it requires someone to tear it down and discover this.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SusanK Avatar
135 months ago
Hmm I'm confused. You did a Personal Pickup and the employee told you they were not happy that you purchased online?

And sales pressure? They don't pressure you Lol. Apple products can sell themselves...

Something isn't adding up.


Yes. I was made aware that the purchase should be made at that retail location.

If they don't pressure in the store you visit good for you.

I'm finished with this topic. It's obvious that some people here think each and every retain store is the same. Any location of any retail store is only as good as the GM. Apple is no exception
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SusanK Avatar
135 months ago
What Apple store are you visiting? I've experienced nothing like that.....ever.


I visit the store nearest my home. It was not always this way. There has been an unfortunate turn. I'll give you an example.

Several months ago I stopped in and looked at the iPad Air. A salesperson approached and asked if I had questions. I only had one. How much memory on the Air.

His response "I don't know." I asked him to find someone in the store who had the info. "No one here knows. Nobody knows. Even Apple doesn't know".

I thanked him and left. This store needs a new manager or Apple needs a CEO.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SusanK Avatar
135 months ago
"The first Apple Stores featured high-speed Internet connections to attract new customers and were originally designed to create a sense of community among Apple users, not necessarily sell products."

This and amazing products made Apple store visits wonderful. I seldom left without making a purchase. Now I avoid the Apple store. If I want a hard sell environment with verbal misrepresentations there are always used car lots to visit.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
best early black friday deals

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Friday November 1, 2024 8:21 am PDT by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 29 in 2024. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
ios 18 2 chatgpt plus

iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit, Offers 'Plus' Upgrade Option

Monday November 4, 2024 10:54 am PST by
With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that's available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that's available with Siri. In the Settings app, there's now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a "Daily Limit" reading that shows up as...
M3 Pro Max vs M4 Pro Max Feature

Here's How Much Faster M4 Pro/Max Are for Graphics vs. M3 Pro/Max

Friday November 1, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are impressively fast in terms of CPU performance, topping the M2 Ultra, but what about graphics performance? The first Geekbench 6 results for GPU performance are now available for the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and the Metal scores reveal some impressive year-over-year gains. Based on the Metal scores that are available so far, the M4 Pro and M4 Max are up to...
imac video apple feature

What to Expect From Apple This November

Friday November 1, 2024 9:40 am PDT by
After a busy October in which Apple announced new Macs and Apple Intelligence launched, the calendar has now turned to November. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple this month as the slower-but-still-busy holiday season approaches. After seeding the first betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 with additional Apple Intelligence features last month, Apple will likely...