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The Apple Store is like a high-end electronics showroom that encourages visitors to hang around and play with the fancy toys. But what if—like most people—you just want to get in, grab your blank CDs and your Flash memory card, and get out as rapidly as possible? It can take hours to find anything in CompUSA’s vast, confusing aisles. J&R is always swarming; ditto Circuit City. Datavision can feel a little cramped, but at least that means everything from iPod accessories to high-end Fujitsu laptops are easy to spot. More important, nine times out of ten you’ll have no trouble finding a floor person who can either direct you to exactly where you want to go or give you detailed, informed advice on product selection. Best of all, the store has an excellent service center: Regardless of whether you purchased your product through Datavision, they’ll fix it within five days. And if you can’t live without your laptop, an extra $125 jumps you to the front of the line for emergency service, which can be as quick as 24 hours for hard-drive replacement.

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Best of New York Awards

• Best Computer Store (2005)