Turns out that the Apple Store is a great source for cases and sleeves to fit a Pixel. That’s ironic as my purchase decision came down to a Mac Book Pro with Retina Display or a Chromebook Pixel. I bought Google’s laptop, but I shopped in Apple’s store for a sleeve. Check before you buy, but most sleeves and cases made for the 13-inch MacBook Pro should work nicely with the Pixel, even though the latter machine has a 3:2 aspect ratio screen.

This works out well because the two devices are similar enough in size. Apple’s device is 12.35 inches x 8.62 inches x 0.75 inches, for example, while Google’s Chromebook Pixel measures in at 11.72 inches x 8.84 inches x 0.64 inches. I suppose you could order a custom case for the Pixel, but that’s likely going to be costly.

I ended up settling on the neoprense and faux fur Incase Sleeve for $39.99. My Chromebook Pixel fits it well and I like how the sleeve has three zippers: Two work together to close the sleeve up while a third opens up one corner of the sleeve to expose the laptop’s power port. This way, I can slip the Pixel in the case for protection and charge the device’s battery at the same time. I opted for a sleeve because I recently bought a new messenger bag that doesn’t have padding.

Got any more Chromebook case suggestions? Drop a comment, and we might just share them on our weekly GigaOM Chrome Show podcast.

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The Economic Times of India says it has heard from unnamed sources that Apple plans to “triple its exclusive stores to around 200 by 2015″ in the country. “Exclusive stores” are certified by Apple as official resellers of Apple products — and only Apple products. They are owned by local franchisees, not Apple. The plan is said to be a part of an “aggressive” growth strategy that will also put more Apple products on the shelves of other retailers that sell competing products too.

iPhones and iPads are still pretty expensive for many locals, but Apple has made some moves to accomodate that. It started offering payment plans for its devices, much like it did in China.

There were 19 million smartphones sold in India last year. But there are estimates that by 2016 that number will be 108 million, according to IDC. Samsung has basically had the run of the smartphone market in India because of the lower price of the devices, selling about a third of all smartphones in the country last quarter.

Opening more outlets that sell iPhones is one formula to try to improve sales. But a bigger part of that equation is probably changing how local customers think of the brand. Apple’s own stores are a huge part of its success in the last decade, especially in established markets like the U.S. and Europe — and right now we’re seeing the relationship of a growing number of Apple Stores, an improving brand image and product sales momentum play out in China.

But there’s a sticking point in India Apple right now can’t overcome: Single-brand stores can be owned by foreign companies in India, but legally they have to source 30 percent of their wares from Indian companies. Until Apple starts making devices or components in India, it looks like there won’t be any Apple Store any time soon.

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Well, to begin with, they’re not really hurting as a result. At least that’s what CEO Tim Cook explained during a Q&A session at Goldman Sachs’ analyst conference this week. Cook was effusive in his description of the stores, calling the in-store experience “Prozac” for him when he’s having a bad day.

And it’s not hard to see why they make him so happy. The average stores pulls in $50 million in yearly revenue, he said Tuesday. And the stores make about $6,000 per square foot of retail space — twice what next-closest retailer, Tiffany & Co. does.

And, as this chart from Horace Dediu at Asymco shows below, Apple Stores are more popular than ever:

Cook said there were 370 million people that walked through the doors of Apple stores during 2012 — the most ever. Besides just being a place where shoppers can pick up an iPhone or MacBook, the stores function as showrooms for the Apple experience, customer service centers, and places to educate new iPhone or Mac users.

It’s been almost four months since Browett’s exit, and there’s still no SVP of Retail. Cook has been overseeing the group, while Apple is said to be still actively looking for Browett’s replacement. It needs someone who knows retail, understands the value of Apple’s brand, and has international experience, since that’s where most of Apple’s sales growth is coming from. Apple’s at the top of its game in retail in these respects, but apparently the SVP slot remains an extraordinarily hard position to fill. Apple doesn’t appear to be looking inward: longtime VP of Retail Jerry McDougal recently left the company after presumably being passed over for the position. It appears instead to be looking outside the company again, despite the bad experience last time.

In all, the toughest thing about Apple retail is, as we learned from the Browett episode, that it’s extremely high profile with almost no leeway to make significant change. Whoever Cook brings in will likely have to accept simply managing the model that’s already in place; which for the ambitious type Apple usually hires, is probably a tough sell.

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Apple previously sold directly to Indonesia residents via its website as recently as late 2010, when it shut those sales down and began selling through local, authorized third-party dealers instead.

The Investment Coordinating Board also tells NZWeek that a physical Apple Store in Jakarta won’t be far behind:

Azhar Lubis, deputy chairman of BKPM said Apple will open its store in Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta. “The investment is worth around $2-3 million,” he said.

The Next Web notes that Apple had been advertising for several key positions for its Indonesian operations in summer 2012.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.

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It happened last Friday, according to IFO Apple Store, which first reported the news. Apple has moved quickly to fill McDougal’s position, picking Jim Bean, 15-year Apple veteran who moves over from VP of Finance, Apple confirmed to AllThingsD.

Officially, McDougal is said to have left Apple to “spend more time with his family,” but there’s probably a little more to it than a mid-career executive wanting a break. McDougal was said to be a candidate to fill the SVP of Retail role that has been vacant since John Browett was let go in October. McDougal’s departure likely means he was passed over for the position for the second time since Ron Johnson left in late 2011. That could also signal that Tim Cook is getting closer to naming a permanent replacement.

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November 2 is the first day that Apple’s new iPad mini and updated iPad go on sale in the U.S. and several other countries. While it will be business as usual in most of the 250 Apple stores in the U.S. and nearly 150 in other countries, that’s not the case in New York City and parts of New Jersey: two NYC stores, the SoHo and West 14th Street locations, are closed due to Superstorm Sandy’s effects, and three stores in New Jersey are also shuttered until further notice, according to Apple’s website.

It’s hard to predict what kind of effect the store closures will have on sales, but it’s at least one new factor that could impact the all-important first-weekend of sales of Apple’s latest device. Apple will often announce new hardware sales figures from the first weekend to reinforce for potential customers that the device is popular and worth buying, and as a signal to Wall Street what kind of quarter the company is in for.

The W. 14th Street Apple Store is closed. Its neighborhood, along with most of Lower Manhattan still has no power.

Most of Apple’s other stores in the region do remain open. But some of its most trafficked retail stores in the world, like the Fifth Avenue “cube” store that’s filled with shoppers 24/7, are in Manhattan. Transportation into and out of the city — whether via car, bus, train, subway, airplane or boat — is severely restricted for locals and tourists due to flooding and power outages. And within the city, much of the public transit system is still offline or overtaxed. So instead of plotting the best time to line up to buy an iPad on the first day it’s available, NYC locals are more likely going to be figuring out the best time to get in line for a bus that will get them somewhere near their workplace.

True, some people will buy an Apple device automatically and can order online. But in this case, being able to check out the iPad mini in person is going to be necessary for a lot of customers. As the owner of a standard-sized iPad, I myself was skeptical of the iPad mini. How could a smaller, cheaper version of what I have be attractive? Then I got to hold one at the press event last week, and I can tell you, picking it up and playing with it definitely helps you make a decision. Most people are going to want to see that screen for themselves.

The other factor — people getting their preordered iPads in the mail — is another challenge Apple is going to have to deal with, and it’s going to affect even more people than store closures. FedEx, which Apple uses, is warning customers that deliveries are indefinitely delayed or just slow for most of the northeast, as BGR noted earlier.

In the long run, this disaster probably won’t have a significant effect on Apple’s overall quarterly sales of the iPad mini and new iPad. Both devices are launching globally and will be rolled out to many cities and towns all over the world where shopping will continue as normal. Plus, we’re in that time of year where a lot of people go gift shopping. So while Sandy was certainly powerful, she didn’t cancel the holidays.

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“The whole theme of the store is to show how you can use technology and how we can bring it life for you,” said Kent Mathy, president of AT&T’s north central region. With that idea in mind, AT&T wanted to create a flagship showroom that was “less transactional and more experiential,” Mathy said.

If it sounds like an Apple Store, there are a lot of similarities: the lack of registers — employees use iPads as point of sale devices – and the Apps Bar, which looks strikingly similar to Apple’s Genius Bar. The big difference is AT&T isn’t necessarily showcasing its own products. All of the devices in stores are, of course, for sale, but the focus is on the different apps and services that run over those devices.

The 40 customer-facing employees who staff the store all moved from different parts of the country, having been selected from AT&T’s 26,000 retail staff for their expertise, Mathy said. They will be manning the different the store’s sections demoing different use cases for AT&T smartphones and other connected devices.

The “Get Fit Boutique” for instance will feature health and fitness apps and show customers how they can link external devices like the FitBit to your phone. App Bar employees will be available to answer technical questions and troubleshoot any app or device related problem.

There will also be boutiques for AT&T’s U-Verse broadband and TV services, a connected car demo of the Nissan Leaf, and Ma Bell’s new Digital Life connected home platform – though the service isn’t yet available in Chicago. The flagship location will also sell items unavailable through other online or brick-and-mortar AT&T retail outlets, such as limited edition smartphone cases designed by local Chicago artists.

AT&T hasn’t yet decided whether it will bring the flagship concept to any other cities, but Mathy said the Chicago location isn’t just a temporary trial fixture. AT&T intends for it to be a permanent location, he said.

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