Stephen Foley: Mini-stores may take a bite out of Apple's image

US Outlook: Target must be hoping for Beijing-style mob scenes when it opensmini-Apple stores inside its superstores soon, though maybe not quite the brawls and egg-throwing that marred the iPhone 4S launch in China yesterday.

Target is the not-quite-as-poor man's Wal-Mart, a chain known for piling stock high and selling it cheap, so putting Apple's famous benches and youthful sales staff into corners of its stores will be quite the culture shock.

For Target it is an attempt to move upmarket. For Apple, though? Another little nudge further into the mainstream. I'm not sure Steve Jobs would approve.