[bradleyland]

You're making an argument that the parent isn't. No one in their right mind would claim that the iPod and iPhone aren't major contributors to Apple's current condition, but are the two mutually exclusive? Are you claiming that the Apple retail strategy hasn't contributed to Apple's success? That seems just as silly.

I don't believe that there are many of Apple's decisions you can cherry pick and still arrive at the same Apple you have today. The "experience" at the Apple store is definitely one of the decisions that are inextricable from Apple's overall success.