Target confirms it will open 25 Apple store-within-a-store outlets this year

Last week AppleInsider exclusively reported that Apple would plan to open 25 specialty stores inside Target's largest stores this year. The retailer confirmed those exact details in a presentation in New York on Thursday, according to The New York Times.

The concept is called "The Shops at Target," and the dedicated Apple ministores coming to 25 Target locations will not be alone. The Minneapolis-based retailer has also partnered with Boston's Polka Dog Bakery and Miami's The Webster, among others, for its specialty shops.

Target has been long selling Apple's products, including the iPad, iPhone, and Apple's iPod lineup, but the retailer does not currently offer any of Apple's Mac lineup. So the new Target mini-stores could pave the way for more products, like Macs or AirPort wireless routers, to become available.

"Stores-within-a-store, with dedicated floor space and signs and shelves designed by a brand, have been a popular strategy for a while," author Stephanie Clifford wrote for the Times. "Department stores have long had small boutiques for designers like Ralph Lauren or Chanel. J.C. Penney, a Target competitor, has made its stores-within-a-store — for Sephora, Call It Spring, MNG by Mango and other brands — a centerpiece of its strategy."