by , 2:00 AM EST, January 3rd, 2005
According to the Seattle Times, iPods have been good for Apple's third party retail stores. The newspaper reported on Monday that a five store chain called The Mac Store saw its business grow in 2004, and the company's president and CEO, Kevin Anderson, attributed at least some of that growth to the iPod.
"The iPods have been terrific," Mr. Anderson told the Seattle Times. "They've really led the charge for kind of a renaissance for Apple, and as people buy iPods, they also become more aware of the Apple product line."
The company's growth happened even though Apple opened an Apple Store close to one of the five Mac Store locations. According to the article, The Mac Store has focused on providing services and products not available at the Apple-owned stores, which has allowed them to compete with Apple.
"We like to think of them as a showroom, and us as the place where business really gets done," Mr. Anderson told the paper.
There is more information in the full article at the Seattle Times, including some other ways that the iPod is affecting the public's perceptions about Apple retail locations. Note that there is also an article on the page about the way the falling dollar has had a material impact on the Microsoft has to pay to the European Commission.