Apple Store, Fort Worth.

The Fort Worth Apple store opened this weekend.

Apple, Starbucks and McDonald's. Three of my favorites. They are all leaders in their respective sectors, innovative and profitable. I have been critical of Starbucks lately, but I believe they will return to some semblance of a former self (After they discard Pike's Place). Apple had a ten year funk in the 80's, and McDonald's has been way too slow in responding to changing tastes. But as a whole they do things well and considering their size that is no small achievement. It's easy to "cherry pick" from the cheap seats.

The bigger and the more far reaching the company the more difficult to stay ahead of the trends in purchasing habits. What's this have to do with Apple? For the last 10 years they have had more prescience than any retailing technology company I know. From the iPod and its dozens of children, to iPhone, iTunes, iMac, MacAir, touch technology implementation . . . it's a long list.

And that's where the stores come in. Why I wondered does Apple want to have a store when everything is purchased online or on the phone? The answer, I think is to what I was just referring. Stores like this help Apple stay close to the interests of the most enthusiastic customers. Besides letting new buyers look and play with new products the company gets to have a continual focus group.

I hope the store does well. Put a deli and a coffee shop in the store and many of us would move in.