To me this signals the end of what has been called 'The Channel'. In the past you could only buy many electronics products, including computers, from approved vendors. This increased the retail selling price and the wholesale price, putting profit in the pockets of companies that didn't really add value. It also tended to restrict availability to companies approved by the vendors. Being able to buy electronics (and virtually anything else) online brought this situation nearly to an end and the step that Nokia's taking - opening such locations - is, hopefully, the final curtain call for 'The Channel'.

The idea that you can go to a manufacturer's location to not only buy a product but to also learn how to use it is an idea whose time has come. It's an idea that Apple has tried and walked away from several times and I think it was Apple's mistake to have given up on this. All the traditional tactics for increasing market penetration have been exploited and are played out. This new tactic is designed to help Nokia make the most of its strength and to make it a leader in the new markets that these new devices will open up. Imagine that - a company that sells you products and acknowledges an obligation to provide a place where you can go to learn to make the most of them. What a concept!