Lots of stories lately about the greatness of Apple Stores.
http://hbr.org/2011/12/retail-isnt-broken-stores-are/ar/1
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304563104576364071955678908.html
The stores are undoubtedly cool. But are they great?
What percentage of Apple’s sales do you think occur through their retail stores? 13%.
To put it another way, 87% of Apple’s sales come from someplace other than an Apple store.
Now, let’s go one step further. How would Apple stores be doing if Apple’s products sucked?
If my local Apple store only sold Toshiba laptops (instead of Macbook Airs,) HP Touchpads (instead of iPads,) and BlackBerry Torches (instead of iPhones,) how crowded do you think it would be on your average Saturday afternoon? Would people still consider the stores great?
Don’t get me wrong…Apple Retail stores are an important part of reinforcing the overall brand, allowing people to sample the products, easy access to service, etc. But let’s not go overboard. They’re crowded because Apple makes cool stuff, not because the stores are cool.
Be Fools Not To. 
I agree with your premise, but would say that reinforcing the brand with the cool stores is what Apple is to millions of people. When I think of Apple, I think of the silver apple, the store layout, the people in blue shirts, etc…I think even if only 13% of sales are in stores, the image they create has a profound value, and that transfers over to online sales, etc…additionally the service they provide goes with the “cool store” image.
One other point is the clientele in an Apple store. Have you ever noticed who is there? Little kids to grey haired executives, Occupiers to grandmothers…This is the only place I see this diversity, and I think the environment an Apple store creates brings this about. How else could you get this diverse group of people come to the same place to put down thousands of dollars on technology?
In other words, I think the stores create an iconic image that brings a wide base of customers together and that is what is “cool.”