Apple Mines the Mainstream

"Beyond CompUSA, there's no one that really pushes the Apple brand [besides] Apple," Munster says. Apple specialist stores, he says, are "like converted Burger Kings. They've very eclectic, but no one goes in to them."

Munster calls Apple's expanded presence at Best Buy a "game-changer for their retail strategy." He says it's hard to predict how much of an impact the Best Buy deal will have, but he believes it will certainly be positive. He does not own shares of Apple, and his firm doesn't do investment banking with the company.

Jonathan Hoopes, an analyst with ThinkEquity Partners, agrees that having Apple take up shelf space at Best Buy is great and also sees customers getting lured in by Apple's new Leopard operating system in the spring. He does not own shares and his firm does not do banking with Apple, but it makes a market in Apple shares.

In addition, he expects Microsoft's Vista OS launch to benefit Apple. "If Windows XP is any indication, Microsoft will spend a lot of money on advertising," he says. "There should be some good buzz around PC refresh and the PC industry in general."

Combine that buzz with a larger retail presence, and Apple is well-positioned for even further gains in market share.

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