AppleInsider has posted an insightful article into the current state of Apple Retail with facts gained from Apple’s recent SEC filing.

The report states that Apple is fast approaching $1 billion of total store lease commitments and intends to use $360 million in capital during 2007 to facilitate new stores.

During 2006 Apple spent $200 million to open 41 Apple retail stores, and during the year Apples lease price totals rose from $609 million to $887 million.

By the end of the 2006 fiscal year which ended September 30, Apple operated in:-

  • 165 locations,
  • 147 stores in the United States,
  • 18 stores across international locations, including the UK, Canada and Japan,
  • totalling up 1.2 million square feet of retail space

During fiscal 2006 Apples net sales increased by 43-percent to $3.4 billion compared to the previous year and Macintosh unit sales increased by 45-percent to nearly 900,000.

The current year increase was primarily due to strong sales of Macintosh portable and desktop products, iPods, and other music related products and services. Sales of iPods increased primarily due to the introduction of the updated iPod with video-playing capabilities in October 2005 and the iPod nano during September 2005. The increase in other music related products and services was due to increased sales of Apple-branded and third-party iPod accessories. Macintosh portable and desktop sales increased due to strong sales of the Intel-based MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac. Wrote Apple in its yearly SEC 10-K filing.