Proof Apple needs retail stores in Europe

Lest anyone doubt my assertion yesterday that Apple needs retail stores in Europe to drive iPhone sales in Europe, the Unofficial Apple Weblog notes that Apple retail sold seven times as many iPhones as all the AT&T stores in July. The reason? Marketing 101: every Apple retail store has an entire table of iPhones available to try and make calls on (Yikes! I didn't know those phones were actually activated!). The AT&T store experience is much more spotty, with some stores not even displaying iPhones at all.

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