MacNN: Apple internal video shows thinking behind stores

This bit is the key:

The approach appears to be very successful, and under Johnson’s watch the chain became the most profitable per-square-foot retail chain the world, even surpassing high-margin jewelry and apparel chains. Retail imitators like Sony, Microsoft and in particular Samsung have tried to mimic the approach, but their implementation — lightly-differentiated copies of the Apple Store with a more rigid consistency from one store to another — has failed to resonate with the public, as recent surveys have shown.

Mimicking is exactly what Apple’s competitors do, including Microsoft with their poorly performing Apple Store rip-offs.

It all gets back to what I wrote back in August. The fact that this internal video has been made public isn’t going to make a lick of difference to Apple’s competitors, because they’re likely to just mimic an approach to retail, not internalize a process and way of thinking. Apple cares about making people happy because they know it will inevitably lead to sales. You can’t mimic care. People know when you’re being sincere.

This silly “care” thing extends way beyond the retail experience and into Apple’s products. They make things they enjoy using and they think others will enjoy using while the competition makes iPad and iPhone and MacBook competitors. Apple’s competitors don’t think about the human experience, they focus on filling a product category.