Geniuses behind bars.(From the Editor's Desk)

THE NEW APPLE STORE IN DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO IS a beauty. Nestled right between Market Street and shopping-mad Union Square (and right across the street from the Virgin Megastore, where songs cost a wee bit more than 99 cents each), Apple's new retail outlet occupies a two-story structure with a glass front, a huge glass skylight, and a large glass staircase.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Apple Store that's within a ten-minute drive of my house isn't beautiful at all. It's in a small shopping-mall space that Apple has not spent millions of dollars redesigning. I'm pretty ...

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