As Steve Jobs present off the new Palo Alto mini Apple Store , Apple retail VP Ron Johnson made an interesting watching . He pointed out that the new storage design was the same size as retail outlets in airports , and even mentioned San Francisco International Airport as a potential future goal for one of these mini stores . The Apple product cite in this context : the iPod .

And when you think about it , that ’s a enchanting idea . Let ’s say you have same time to kill before a long flight , and you ’re wandering around the airport . You spy an Apple store , and before you know it you ’re considering how bully it would be to have an iPod to hear to on the plane .

There ’s only one problem : iPods hail empty . You ’ve got to download music or rip it off of a CD so as to fill your iPod with good stuff and nonsense . Why corrupt an empty iPod before a flight ?

The answer is , do n’t keep it empty . Meaning , if Apple ’s going to start selling iPods in airdrome , it demand to make some sort of stall to countenance people to buy medicine from the iTunes Music Store and load it on their iPods as they stand within the store .

With these new mini stores , Apple has already shown the ability to create technological invention so as to answer its mission : all the mini stores moderate two touch - screen cubicle to let customers scan and pay for ware with a credit card without waiting for a clerk .

So think a touch - screen - found system lead a modified version of iTunes , one that lets you swipe your citation card or enter the code from a gift card you just buy at the computer storage along with your iPod . You enter in your e - mail reference to create an report ( unless you ’ve already get an iTunes , account , in which font you ’d just lumber yourself in ) . Then you punch in your iPod and browse the memory board , buying Song to take on your tripper . The cubicle download the files straight to your iPod . And since Apple does n’t allow you replicate music from the iPod back to your iTunes depository library , the cubicle might also imitate the file as datum to the strong cause dower of the iPod , or burn up a cadmium containing the protect music files on it , or even upload them to your iDisk if you ’ve got one .

The big matter about this idea is , it ’s not just for new iPod vendee . If you ’re a arduous - core group iPod substance abuser and your music library is kind of stale , why not pour down into the airport Apple Store and download the tardy Jet album before jetting to 30,000 foot ?

It just make too much sense to me . Let ’s go for that Apple ’s think the same matter .