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Dial back to 1996, several years before the first retail store would ever open its door: Apple had a very different plan in mind to get its brand into the minds and wallets of consumers. Cyber cafes, with their high speed Internet access, software libraries, and nearby patrons and support staff were popping up in cities around the world.

In the lead-up to Apple opening its own stores, the retail computing landscape was ruled by a handful of giants, few of which are still around today. The big box dilemmaPartner relationships are one of the big reasons Apple ventured into its own retail efforts in the first place. They stocked their shelves with goods from a number of manufacturers, hired their own staff, and controlled where products went.

Similar efforts can still be found in places like Fry’s and Best Buy. This system wasn’t working for Apple, when at the time its main product was still computers. There, buyers would be able to experience Apple products in a controlled environment that was made separate from the sea of PCs, laptops, and gadgets from other vendors. In 1998, the company began pulling out of several of these stores, including Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sears, to puts its focus into a “store within a store” concept it had with retailer CompUSA.

Johnson left Target to join Apple in 2000 and reports directly to Jobs. This includes designing the stores to instill visitors with an idea of owning the products that are being sold. Much of the success around Apple’s retail efforts can be attributed to Ron Johnson, the senior vice president of retail for Apple. Johnson is credited both with the strategy of the stores, as well as much of the micromanaging that goes into the details, from from materials used, all the way to the layout of each store.

It takes customer relationships one step beyond what Apple originally intended with the unrealized cyber cafe concept by supporting those who have already bought into the company’s product ecosystem. Some include movie theaters with podiums for training sessions, product promotion, and special events. However one of the most iconic fixtures is the Genius Bar, a place where users can come get their Apple hardware and software problems fixed by company-certified repair technicians. Others include special areas for children to play games and use educational software. It’s what’s on the inside The interior design of the modern Apple retail store varies by location.

In a keynote speech at a design conference in 2004, Johnson said the practice was too expensive. He also noted the company had contemplated serving hot beverages too but was turned off by getting permits and having to train employees. When Apple stores first opened up, they actually provided bottled water to visitors of the Genius Bar but halted the practice a few months later.

While modest lines can form for new laptops or iPods, nothing’s had quite the effect of theiPhone and nowiPad. Of course buyers line up in front of other retailers too, but for the past few years the largest lines have tended to be at an Apple venue, stretching around entire city blocks. Following the introduction of new versions of these devices, the place to go has become Apple’s retail stores, where buyers tend to have the best shot at grabbing a new product the day, or weekend it’s first out.

Apple is now up to more than 320 stores worldwide, with most of those in the United States. Future growth One question that remains is how much bigger Apple plans to grow its retail venture. The company noted last month that it has plans to open 40 new stores by the end of September, 30 of which will be outside the U.S. Coming in at a distant second is the U.K., followed by Canada.

Apple’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by competitors. Similarities to Apple’s efforts were made almost immediately. Microsoft hired Wal-Mart veteran David Porter to captain the creation of its own line of retail stores in 2009. Just like Apple, the insides of Microsoft’s retail stores have broad tables with a number of gadgets that fall into the company’s ecosystem, as well as its own software and hardware. Microsoft also staffs its own employees to talk to customers to find out their computing needs and handle support issues in a designated section of the store staffed by what early store plans referred to as “gurus.”.

It also uses its retail locations to offer consumers “Signature” PCs, which come with without any third-party software trials, or add-ons. Like Apple, Microsoft has used the stores to give its giant brand a personal touch, hosting store opening concerts and giving store visitors a chance to mingle with company executives.

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