CUPERTINO, California-May 21, 2001-Apple(r) today announced that its first two retail locations welcomed over 7700 people and sold a combined total of $599,000 of merchandise during their first two day weekend. The stores, located in Glendale, California and McLean, Virginia are the first of 25 stores the company is opening across the U.S. in 2001. "We are blown away with the numbers," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "More importantly, customers have told us they love everything about the store-from the knowledgeable sales staff to the Genius Bar to the store's design and unique approach to presenting digital lifestyle solutions." On May 15, 2001, Apple announced that it would open 25 retail stores across the U.S. in 2001. After opening its first two stores on May 19, Apple will continue to introduce stores in a number of high-traffic locations throughout the year. At each Apple store, knowledgeable salespeople will be able to demonstrate Macs(r) running innovative applications like iTunes and iMovie(tm), as well as Mac(r) OS X, Apple's revolutionary new operating system. All of the Macs are connected to the Internet, and several are connected to digital lifestyle products that complement the Mac experience, such as digital cameras, digital camcorders, MP3 players, and handheld organizers. The Apple stores will carry over 300 third-party software titles for professionals, and consumers and will carry inventory for every Apple and third-party product displayed to ensure immediate fulfillment.