Ron Johnson, Apple’s former senior vice president of retail operations, is out with a new book today called ‘Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius.’
In the book, Johnson tells the story of working alongside Steve Jobs to craft Apple’s retail strategy.
‘Shop Different,’ written with Zander Nethercutt, isn’t a “traditional business book,” but rather an “insider account of one of the most important retail successes of our time.”
When Steve Jobs hired Ron Johnson to create the Apple Store in 2000, conventional wisdom said that the internet would put stores out of business. By the time he left Apple in 2011, Johnson and his team had created the most respected and profitable retail stores in the world. And even then, skeptics were still predicting the death of physical retail.
In Shop Different, Johnson reveals how it happened: how he earned Jobs’s trust, how they developed a vision for a store that would win not by selling but by serving, and how he convinced Jobs that the store’s service philosophy should be rooted in something as intangible as love. Johnson then gives readers a new look at Apple’s ascent to the most valuable company in the world; offers an inspiring vision for a future in which retailers win on connection, service, and experience; and shares an honest look at what leads to success—and what can follow.
Johnson joined 9to5Mac’s Overtime podcast last week to discuss ‘Shop Different’ and the origins of the Apple Store. Jeff and Fernando did an excellent job interviewing Johnson, and you can watch it on YouTube, or listen via Apple Podcasts and other platforms.
‘Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius’ can be ordered on Amazon today. You can also order it and support local bookstores via Bookshop.org. My copy arrives today and I’m looking forward to diving in.
Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:
Breaking news from Cupertino. We’ll give you t…
Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.
You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.
