Can Apple Retail Outlast Best Buy, Radio Shack?

Although the holiday shopping season proved to be a strong one for retailers of all kinds, the big box stores' corporate boards may want to step in to ensure the solid performance continues in the years to come. Already, some analysts are predicting the downfall of Best Buy and other

Although the holiday shopping season proved to be a strong one for retailers of all kinds, the big box stores' corporate boards may want to step in to ensure the solid performance continues in the years to come. Already, some analysts are predicting the downfall of Best Buy and other electronics retailers.

In an article for Slash Gear, Don Reisinger predicts that Apple Retail stores will be the last among the brick-and-mortar technology giants to survive, as Best Buy suffers the same fate as Circuit City and CompUSA.

He notes that some may defend the likes of Best Buy because consumers still need to quickly buy electronics and can't always wait for the product to be shipped. "But with Amazon and others shipping products to homes in just a day and the ability to return those products without any financial recourse, I'm not so sure I agree with that logic," Reisinger says.

Apple, on the other hand, focuses on the entire customer experience and is also a tech support center, which will make its physical presence more important to consumers and investors.

Seeking Alpha contributor Vince Martin notes that the reason most electronics retailers, including RadioShack, are struggling every quarter comes down to management. Missteps on partnerships and debt-funded buybacks have created problems and devalued the stock, he says.