Apple retail stores continue to attract new Mac buyers

Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said the retail locations totaled $1.5 billion in revenue during the third quarter, topping last year's $1.45 billion in the same period. But that increased profit was buoyed by new retail locations, as the $5.9 million average revenue per store (based on an average 254 stores) was down from $6.8 million a year prior.

The nearly half-million Macs sold at retail locations was 16,000 more than the 476,000 consumers bought in Q3 2008.

With half of all new Mac purchases coming from customers who never owned a Mac before, Apple's One to One program might play a large role for those consumers. This past quarter, the "new and improved" One to One Program launched. The new program resulted in a record 667,000 personal training sessions, designed to help people become acquainted with their new Mac.

Apple opened six new stores during the June quarter, and now has 258 total retail locations. The company expects to open a total of 25 stores during 2009 — including the first Apple Store in France, set to debut in Paris this holiday.

Twenty-seven stores were also remodeled, and the company expects to have a total of 100 renovations done by the end of the year.

The 38.6 million Apple Store visitors for Q3 was a 22 percent increase over the same period one year prior, when 31.7 million browsed the company's retail locations.