Apple Expanding iPhone Retail Presence?

Apple's Retail Stores have already proven themselves to be a phenomenon, not only in terms of sales, but also in terms of customer experience. It is not surprising that, given a choice, customers will prefer going to Apple Stores for Apple products, but this is not always possible. While Apple is constantly opening new stores, it is simply not enough and the company has to employ other means of getting their products out there.

Currently, iPhones sell in Apple and AT&T stores, but the breakthrough device needs to get out there even more and it is not surprising that rumors on this subject are beginning to pop up. Similar to Apple's past 'store within a store' initiatives for its Mac platform, the iPhone is expected to start becoming available at other high-profile retailers and prime AT&T wireless partners.
Currently, the most likely such retail locations are BestBuy stores, in which Apple already has a presence. The iPhone is a logical addition to the Apple products already present in BestBuy stores and there are even rumors of the famed iPhone Displays making an appearance.

Considering the experiences of customers going to AT&T stores with the intention of seeing, testing and buying an iPhone, such a broadening of retail locations for the device might not be a bad thing. On the other hand, if the iPhone experience in BestBuy stores is anything like the experience in AT&T stores, people are likely to continue doing business at Apple's stores.
With the way iPhone activation is set up through iTunes, the devices could in theory be sold anywhere, however, with the iPhone being such a radical new device, seeing is believing. The device sells itself, but for that, the customer needs to be able to interact and experience it firsthand and as such, the quality of the retail experience remains an important factor for the time being.