2001: Business Week explains why Apple stores won't work

Note that this article was written in May 2001. The iPod was announced in October 2001. Nobody saw it coming, and even after it arrived lots of people doubted that it would sell. If the iPod hadn't been invented, it's possible that Business Week's analysis would have held up better -- the iPod drives a lot of shoppers into the Apple Stores.

All the doom-and-gloom comparisons to the Gateway Store look hilarious now. My understanding is that the Gateway Stores were not the problem; it was the Gateways that were the problem.

These people really don't understand that doing the same thing that everyone else does is not a winning strategy. Ever.

Stuff like this makes me laugh :)