Apple Set to Open First Retail Store in France

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/05/apple-set-to-open-first-retail-store-in-france/)

Apple today announced (http://www.apple.com/fr/pr/library/2009/11/05applestore.html) [Google translation (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.apple.com/fr/pr/library/2009/11/05applestore.html&hl=en&langpair=auto|en)] that its first retail store in France will officially open on Saturday at the Carrousel du Louvre (http://www.apple.com/fr/retail/carrouseldulouvre/) in Paris. The two-level store will employ 150 staff members offering the full range of Apple retail store sales and service offerings typical of the company's retail stores. "We are very pleased to extend the experience of the Apple Store in France, said Ron Johnson, Senior Vice President of Retail Apple. The new store is located below the famous Louvre Pyramid, in the Carrousel du Louvre. This is the place to go shopping, train and develop ideas."French site MacGeneration attended a media preview (http://www.macgeneration.com/news/voir/137172/apple-store-du-louvre-il-ouvre) [Google translation (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.macgeneration.com/news/voir/137172/apple-store-du-louvre-il-ouvre&hl=en&langpair=auto|en)] of the new store and offers several photos of the interior.


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2009/11/05/110950-carrousel_du_lourve_1_300.jpg


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2009/11/05/110950-carrousel_du_lourve_2_500.jpg


MacGeneration has also posted a follow-up article (http://www.macgeneration.com/news/voir/137175/apple-store-carrousel-du-louvre-ouverture-et-photos) [Google translation (http://www.macgeneration.com/news/voir/137175/apple-store-carrousel-du-louvre-ouverture-et-photos)] offering additional photos from the media event.

Apple has plans for rapid expansion in France, with the opening of a second store scheduled for November 14th in Montpellier (http://www.apple.com/fr/retail/odysseum/) in the South of France. MacGeneration has also informed us that Ron Johnson indicated at the media event that a second Paris store is planned to open next summer near the Opéra Garnier, approximately one mile from the Carrousel du Lourve location.

Article Link: Apple Set to Open First Retail Store in France (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/05/apple-set-to-open-first-retail-store-in-france/)

[macshill]

They look like they're on the deck of the Star Ship Enterprise. lol "Set your phasers (iPod Touch?) to stun."

[Steflinsky]

oui lol ... on peut meme voire spok !!! et nous dans le nord-est on pue de la geul?

[homsar]

/me does not remember this much fuss over the opening of the first store in Wales a couple of weeks ago... :P

[baryon]

Finally! Now I would just like one in Hungary please...

[macshill]

Glad there's one in France. Keep in mind the sentiment when posting here:

"First ever Microsoft store ever = boo!"

"First Apple store in France = yay!" ;) :p :D :apple:

[blogorant]

Wow. An Apple Store in France? This is going to make for an interesting study. Kind of like matter and anti-matter. The employees may actually turn out to be polite, courteous, helpful and truly knowledgable.

Oh, and observant of basic hygiene. :)

[malohkan]

Where's the video of everyone screaming as people coming in? I want that.

[lamadude]

Tempted to go to France just for this (thanks to high speed trains Paris is only an hour away from my Belgian home town even though it's 270 km) but I probably should visit the Louvre as well when I'm there to seem less like an apple freak.

[Goona]

Glad there's one in France. Keep in mind the sentiment when posting here:

"First ever Microsoft store ever = boo!"

"First Apple store in France = yay!" ;) :p :D :apple:

You're a Mac site, why should we be celebrating the opening of a Microsoft store go to www.winsupersite.com

[macshill]

You're a Mac site, why should we be celebrating the opening of a Microsoft store go to www.winsupersite.com

Oh, I get it. I just recall the trash talking that went on here when MacRumors did a page 1 story on the first ever Microsoft store. It was quite enlightening. :cool:

edit: Is it just me, or does 150 employees seem like a lot?

[MadMacxxx]

Wow, really? No Apple store in France prior to this?! Why...?
And thats a good looking store at a pretty damn good location

[Gasu E.]

edit: Is it just me, or does 150 employees seem like a lot?

What would you expect in a country with 246 kinds of cheese? ;)

[star-fish]

Wow, really? No Apple store in France prior to this?! Why...?


I'm surprised too, they've had them in England and Germany for years?

[MICMAC247]

Wow, really? No Apple store in France prior to this?! Why...?
And thats a good looking store at a pretty damn good location

Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast ;)

[dejo]

Is this the same Carrousel du Louvre that McDonald's will be opening a store in? Sacré bleu!

[Stately]

Wow, that's reaaally nice. :D

[eastercat]

I'm only sad that it wasn't open when I was there in July. That would've been sweet.

[LagunaSol]

WTF? No Ashley Tisdale?

FAIL.

;)

[alec]

Sacre BLEU indeed. Though this seems like it should have happened a while ago (I can't believe their wasn't an Apple store in Paris to begin with).

[macshill]

Looks like if "Mr. Bean" ever takes another "Holiday", he'll have to forgo Cannes and cap off his mad-capped adventure in France's only Apple store.

[Stella]

Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast ;)

Yea, that was so lame... all because france wouldn't kiss Bush's arse.. unlike Blair ( the Poodle ). That was kind of embarrassing - Bush told Blair to jump, and he jumped. Blair the Bitch!

France is a nice country, I enjoy visiting.

Anyway, its great that France now has an Apple Store. Enjoy!

[Yvan256]

They're all wearing red shirts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshirt_(character)).

[jon86]

I wonder if red is the colour of choice for all of Apple's retail employees' t-shirts around the world.

[macshill]

I'm willing to go to almost any market where the lame, tired, misleading "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac" ads don't exist! ;)

[CptnJustc]

At first, I thought there were three guys making out in the bottom of that picture.

Then I realized it was just part of one guy's face, and a photographer far away from him.

And that's my story.

=/

[ItsGavinC]

So wonderful that 10 people have voted this negative.

But back to the story...good for Apple. Nice to see them taking their retail approach into other countries. I always enjoy a nice Apple store visit. :)

[ThunderSkunk]

I like the little Atheist Atom symbol on the front door.

[macshill]

So wonderful that 10 people have voted this negative.

But back to the story...good for Apple. Nice to see them taking their retail approach into other countries. I always enjoy a nice Apple store visit. :)

Maybe a little payback for all the negatives voted on for the Microsoft Store story they did a little while back here? ;)

I, for one, voted it a positive, because I think it's nice for people to have choice, where they once didn't. Just like if there was a Microsoft Store that opened in the same country. ;)

[C8XY]

At first, I thought there were three guys making out in the bottom of that picture.

Then I realized it was just part of one guy's face, and a photographer far away from him.

And that's my story.

=/

I'm glad im not the only one who noticed that :)

[macshill]

At first, I thought there were three guys making out in the bottom of that picture.

Then I realized it was just part of one guy's face, and a photographer far away from him.

And that's my story.

=/

I had a look and I agree w/ you. lol

[doctoree]

Apple if you read this, please open more stores here in Germany and in France. There is a lot of money to be made here, and I need some serious help convincing all my French and German friends to EXTERMINATE their ****** Windows PCs.
The Mac is not known in vast areas in Europe and this needs to change.

[DCstewieG]

The Genius Bar should always have Weird Al's "Genius In France" (http://www.google.com/search?q=genius+france+lyrics) playing.

[mattwolfmatt]

I like the little Atheist Atom symbol on the front door.

Not sure if you're joking or serious. This is the genius symbol.

[theMaccer]

can u see thru those glass floors?

[DipDog3]

Nice to know when for when I goto France.

[lumberjack]

Apple if you read this, please open more stores here in Germany and in France. There is a lot of money to be made here, and I need some serious help convincing all my French and German friends to EXTERMINATE their ****** Windows PCs.
The Mac is not known in vast areas in Europe and this needs to change.
And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Religiosity to a product is even scarier than actual religiosity.

[ThunderSkunk]

Not sure if you're joking or serious. This is the genius symbol.

:) (jokin)

[powers74]

Finally! Now I would just like one in Hungary please...


You need to start an online petition: "Hungary for Apple"

Anyway, the honeycomb flooring is a cool touch.

Edit: Oops, I mean glass.

[macshill]

You need to start an online petition: "Hungary for Apple"

Anyway, the honeycomb flooring is a cool touch.

Edit: Oops, I mean glass.

Mine would be: "Why should only ONE London get an Apple Store? London, Ontario, too." (London England, London, Ontario)

There's not many in Canada and going all the way to stupid Toronto is just too far. Those in Detroit and upper-Michigan can partake, too.

[lifeinhd]

Apple shouldn't have bothered, the employees will all be on strike in a week anyways :rolleyes:

[andrew upstairs]

No berets? :(

[doctoree]

And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Religiosity to a product is even scarier than actual religiosity.

I' dont think so. Other than actual religiosity, Apple is real and you can buy real products that make your live easier. I wrote my earlier post because I'm actually suffering from those PCs because the owners ask me for help with their issues. (And I bought my Mac to have less issues myself)

[SeattleMoose]

Dick Cheney is donating over 1 ton of uneaten frozen "Freedom Fries" from his peroonal freezer to be given away with every purchase of a Mac.:D

[steve2112]

Religiosity to a product is even scarier than actual religiosity.

I dunno. Nobody has flown a plane into a hi-rise, driven a truck full of explosives into a building, beheaded someone, or invaded a country in the name of Apple.



Yet.

[bmk]

Wow, really? No Apple store in France prior to this?! Why...?


Ostensibly it does seem bizarre, especially given that many Parisians are Mac people rather than PC people, more so at least than other major capitals that already have Apple Stores. I think the answer lies in Apple's perfectionism running up against French bureaucracy, which is not to be underestimated. Paris is also a very small city and you can't just buy retail space where you want, even if you've got a lot of money to spend, as Apple has. The Louvre location is Ok, and better than the original Champs Elysee location they were supposedly in negotiation with for a while. But it's not really ideal if you think about it. It's right in the busiest tourist spot in Paris, and tourists, generally don't live in the city they visit, so are not going to be in the market for buying Macs. Mac Parisians, on the other hand, are going to be a tad pissed off by 'their' store being full of people from other countries just browsing and making it impossible for them to get the kind of attention they as real buyers want in an Apple store, and that they'd get if it was in slightly more residential (though obviously central) location. That aid I will be there on Saturday.

[Yvan256]

I'm willing to go to almost any market where the lame, tired, misleading "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac" ads don't exist! ;)

That's extremely easy. Stop watching TV. :D

[organerito]

Apple shouldn't have bothered, the employees will all be on strike in a week anyways :rolleyes:

That's true:)

I lived there for 3 years. It is a great country. Many people go Mac.

[MacGiver]

I'm surprised too, they've had them in England and Germany for years?

Germany for years??? No, just since Dec'08.
I am glad they are opening one in Paris!!!

[coolbreeze]

can u see thru those glass floors?

Upskirt? Oui oui! :D

/creepy

[MacGiver]

Oh, and observant of basic hygiene. :)

?????

[awee]

150 employees isn't much !
Te store is 700m2, so...

Besides, this is a very specific location, not many frenchies are going to come down this store.
Apple knows that, and "Le Caroussel Du Louvre" is near one of the most visited place in Paris !
The store was previously set to open at "Les Champs Elysées", but there's no place left !
Those are the only 2 places where stores can actually open 7/7.

It's gonna be mostly chinese, english etc... people buying stuff there.
French aren't that much of Apple freaks, but we're working haaaard on it lol, I'm making people switch as much as I can !

Anyways, can't wait for this store to open, and finally get this i7 iMac ! (who knows, they might have some before erveryone else does...)

[jmcguckin]

nice, I'll have to pass this news along to my French uncle, I'm sure he'll manage to drop by this new store within a few days of its opening... and speaking of, I'll have to check it out the next time I'm visiting the family overseas :).

(and on a side note- who the heck could be enough of a kill-joy to rate this article a Negative?)

[inlovewithi]

I actually like Steve Jobs more for not being into furniture.

[inlovewithi]

I actually like Steve Jobs more for not being into furniture.

Ooops, I meant to write this on another story.

[autrefois]

Is this the same Carrousel du Louvre that McDonald's will be opening a store in? Sacré bleu!

I believe so. And the French call McDonald's "MacDo" for short. This means that soon Parisians will be able to go to the Louvre to make both their Mac and MacDo purchases. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

[Ping Guo]

Carrousel du Louvre is a great location. Leave it to Apple to grab the nicest retail space.:) Beats shopping for them at FNAC.

[eastercat]

Wow. An Apple Store in France? This is going to make for an interesting study. Kind of like matter and anti-matter. The employees may actually turn out to be polite, courteous, helpful and truly knowledgable.

Oh, and observant of basic hygiene. :)
:rolleyes:
All the French people that I met on vacation were really polite and clean. They were even nice when I mangled their language.

[aidler]

I would have expected more beautiful french girls as employes. They would go along very nicely to a equaliy beautiful iMac :D.

[scottness]

Apple shouldn't have bothered, the employees will all be on strike in a week anyways :rolleyes:

the french unions... what could be worse?

[NightFox]

The French government are obsessed about halting the infiltration of the French language and culture by English/American and have all sorts of rules for foreign retail outlets opening in the country, including the use of non-French product names. Wonder if we're going to see the world's first "Magasin de Pomme"?

Although interestingly if I use Google to translate Apple Store to French, I get.... Apple Store!

[NightFox]

Ostensibly it does seem bizarre, especially given that many Parisians are Mac people rather than PC people, more so at least than other major capitals that already have Apple Stores. I think the answer lies in Apple's perfectionism running up against French bureaucracy, which is not to be underestimated. Paris is also a very small city and you can't just buy retail space where you want, even if you've got a lot of money to spend, as Apple has. The Louvre location is Ok, and better than the original Champs Elysee location they were supposedly in negotiation with for a while. But it's not really ideal if you think about it. It's right in the busiest tourist spot in Paris, and tourists, generally don't live in the city they visit, so are not going to be in the market for buying Macs. Mac Parisians, on the other hand, are going to be a tad pissed off by 'their' store being full of people from other countries just browsing and making it impossible for them to get the kind of attention they as real buyers want in an Apple store, and that they'd get if it was in slightly more residential (though obviously central) location. That aid I will be there on Saturday.

Just like Regent Street in London - full of tourists checking their email and social networking sites.

Will the Paris one be full of miniature dogs crapping everywhere like the rest of the city?

[NightFox]

At first, I thought there were three guys making out in the bottom of that picture.

Then I realized it was just part of one guy's face, and a photographer far away from him.

And that's my story.

=/

Remember, what passes as "making out" in the UK/US is considered a friendly greeting in much of Europe! :cool:

[Jubijub]

Wow. An Apple Store in France? This is going to make for an interesting study. Kind of like matter and anti-matter. The employees may actually turn out to be polite, courteous, helpful and truly knowledgable.

Oh, and observant of basic hygiene. :)
:mad: if we could stay away of the ignorant racist comments, that would be kinda nice...
I know last time american came massively in France, it was during WWII, but bear in mind our country was massively damaged (up to 99% in some regions), and basic facilities such as water were missing...
Now we have water, showers, toothbrush, 50" TV sets, 27" iMacs, Apple Store even...it's 2009 dammit, it's time to give up old cliché for once...

I'm willing to go to almost any market where the lame, tired, misleading "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac" ads don't exist! ;)
That's funny : these ads don't air in France (I know them because I checked on Apple website)...but Windows 7 ads do air...so we have these young guys and ladies saying "I'm a PC, and Windows 7 was my idea" in French, and I guess not many french people get that it's actually a response to mac ads

Just like Regent Street in London - full of tourists checking their email and social networking sites.

Will the Paris one be full of miniature dogs crapping everywhere like the rest of the city?
You've read " A year in the merde" ;) (reality is a bit better, but not that much ;) )

[appie57]

Ostensibly it does seem bizarre, especially given that many Parisians are Mac people rather than PC people, more so at least than other major capitals that already have Apple Stores. I think the answer lies in Apple's perfectionism running up against French bureaucracy, which is not to be underestimated. Paris is also a very small city and you can't just buy retail space where you want, even if you've got a lot of money to spend, as Apple has. The Louvre location is Ok, and better than the original Champs Elysee location they were supposedly in negotiation with for a while. But it's not really ideal if you think about it. It's right in the busiest tourist spot in Paris, and tourists, generally don't live in the city they visit, so are not going to be in the market for buying Macs. Mac Parisians, on the other hand, are going to be a tad pissed off by 'their' store being full of people from other countries just browsing and making it impossible for them to get the kind of attention they as real buyers want in an Apple store, and that they'd get if it was in slightly more residential (though obviously central) location. That aid I will be there on Saturday.

Totally agree. Bad choice. The place smells like...like...tourists, lots of them the whole day, not Mac buyers. But then, i could be mistaken.

[blogorant]

:mad: if we could stay away of the ignorant racist comments, that would be kinda nice...

I know last time american came massively in France, it was during WWII, but bear in mind our country was massively damaged (up to 99% in some regions), and basic facilities such as water were missing...
Now we have water, showers, toothbrush, 50" TV sets, 27" iMacs, Apple Store even...it's 2009 dammit, it's time to give up old cliché for once...


As I see you're in France and as English may not be your native tongue I'm going to elaborate a bit and comment further.

1. My post was a joke and not meant to be taken seriously. See :)
2. I've been to France, including Paris. I probably should have used Paris / Parisians in my original post.
3. Crying racism is a pretty serious situation here in the US and shouldn't be thrown around casually. Those that do so here in the US generally do so because their points are weak or non-existent.
4. Enjoy your new Apple Store!

[bobrik]

I believe so. And the French call McDonald's "MacDo" for short. This means that soon Parisians will be able to go to the Louvre to make both their Mac and MacDo purchases. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

Depends on the order of those purchases: if they go first to "MacDo" and get their hands dirty and oily from the food, and then visit the Apple Store to touch all the touchpads and keyboards (and glossy screens!) ...

[avvpiras]

The winning rule of locating the Apple Stores has been to place them in highest traffic shopping locations, where the big Apple logo can have the highest visibility to potential customers.

The "Carrousel du Louvre" is a shopping center that is beside the Louvre Museum, but is located underground, so nobody sees any Apple logo neither from the Tuileries Gardens, nor from Rue de Rivoli.

I think that most visitors of the shopping center are foreign tourists that have just visited the Louvre Museum.

Of course, most french customers have yet visited the Louvre Museum in the past, and are not going to visit it again multiple times. And when somebody is travelling abroad, it is very unlikely he/she is going to buy a computer, that is a heavy baggage to bring back home, nor a iPhone, that he/she does not know if could be activated and used in his/her home country.

[twoodcc]

wow. glad to see apple keep expanding!

[MacGiver]

:mad: if we could stay away of the ignorant racist comments, that would be kinda nice...
I know last time american came massively in France, it was during WWII, but bear in mind our country was massively damaged (up to 99% in some regions), and basic facilities such as water were missing...
Now we have water, showers, toothbrush, 50" TV sets, 27" iMacs, Apple Store even...it's 2009 dammit, it's time to give up old cliché for once...


+1 L'ignorance de certain Américains me fera toujours rire...Ils doivent aussi penser qu'il n'y que du sable et des terroristes en Irak et des chapeaux pointus (bonsai-ka), du riz et la jungle au Vietnam.

Anyways, about several other comments from some other folks here...I agree the location could have been better but is way better vs. les Champs Elysées...I live in Paris and believe me i never go there! I would have prefered another location, less crowded...But in most of big cities the AS are in touristic areas...(i mean where there are tourists...not talking about the AS in Albuquerque..if there is one:))

Also, i have read that French people are not really Mac Fans....this is absolutely wrong...people who can afford Mac will buy (especially in large cities)...it is like anywhere in the world...Mac is an expsensive piece of technology...each time i go to the US the majority of people have PC...just like everywhere.

X

[Jubijub]

I second that comment : a lot of people love macs here...

but it's for Mac as for many other products : they are very expensive because it's considered that 1$ = 1€, which is totally wrong (as of today, 1€ = 1.48$)

For exemple, the Core i5 iMac costs $1999 on US Apple Store...it costs 1799€ on French Apple Store...where it should cost 1350€
(oh, and don't mention translation or shipping, none of these would account for 400€ / unit)

regarding locations, this one is good for the visibility of the brand I assume...the second store to open will be in Montpellier, which is much stranger IMHO...(Montpellier is a medium sized city near the Mediterranean see, it does have quite a lot of students per inhabitants, but that definitely not the one with the more students overall, or the one with the more inhabitants)...

Plus the commercial center "Odyseum" in which it will be built is quite outside the city, and a real pain in the neck to reach by motorway (you get lost 3 times before you get there ;) )

[MacGiver]

I second that comment : a lot of people love macs here...

but it's for Mac as for many other products : they are very expensive because it's considered that 1$ = 1€, which is totally wrong (as of today, 1€ = 1.48$)

For exemple, the Core i5 iMac costs $1999 on US Apple Store...it costs 1799€ on French Apple Store...where it should cost 1350€
(oh, and don't mention translation or shipping, none of these would account for 400€ / unit)

I understand...however prices cannot be based on currency fluctations...otherwise they would be changing endlessly and too often (not good business wise). The best thing is asking someone in the US to buy one for you :) if you know someone and if that person is coming over...but you need to declare it to be "legal"...last time i was in Japan i came back with a camcorder (much cheaper than in France)...i was caught at the custom and had to pay for the 20% VAT and a penalty...arggggg!

[flottenheimer]

Now, dear Apple,

Start working on an Apple Store in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease!

[MacGiver]

Now, dear Apple,

Start working on an Apple Store in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease!

Yeahhh! every capital city in EU should have one!

[Kimba]

Ostensibly it does seem bizarre, especially given that many Parisians are Mac people rather than PC people, more so at least than other major capitals that already have Apple Stores. I think the answer lies in Apple's perfectionism running up against French bureaucracy, which is not to be underestimated. Paris is also a very small city and you can't just buy retail space where you want, even if you've got a lot of money to spend, as Apple has.
Thank you for that explanation. Add me to those who were surprised to learn that there wasn't already an Apple store in France.

I would have expected more beautiful french girls as employes.
+1 :D

The "Carrousel du Louvre" is a shopping center that is beside the Louvre Museum, but is located underground, so nobody sees any Apple logo neither from the Tuileries Gardens, nor from Rue de Rivoli.

I think that most visitors of the shopping center are foreign tourists that have just visited the Louvre Museum.
Interesting. I'm planning a trip to Europe next year and one of the Paris guides I read listed the Carrousel du Louvre as a place to avoid. However, what you said makes sense -- I imagine a lot of tourists go there for a quick bite to eat or to do some shopping after visiting the Louvre.

Apple has plans for rapid expansion in France, with the opening of a second store scheduled for November 14th in Montpellier (http://www.apple.com/fr/retail/odysseum/) in the South of France.
Uh-oh. I bet prankster/comedian Rémi Gaillard (http://www.youtube.com/user/nqtv), who lives there, is going to pay them a visit. :eek:

[SactoGuy18]

I'm surprised it took this long for France to finally get an Apple Store.

Having relatives who live in Switzerland near Basel (as such they speak fluent French), they tell me think many foreigners' perception of the French are totally WRONG because for many visitors, their first contact with the French people is usually in Paris, since so many international flights and long distance trains stop in Paris first. As such, like New Yorkers, Parisians have an "attitude" that can turn foreigners off in very short order even if the foreigner speaks French fluently.

Go outside Paris, and the French people are definitely way more friendly.

[MacGiver]

I'm surprised it took this long for France to finally get an Apple Store.

Having relatives who live in Switzerland near Basel (as such they speak fluent French), they tell me think many foreigners' perception of the French are totally WRONG because for many visitors, their first contact with the French people is usually in Paris, since so many international flights and long distance trains stop in Paris first. As such, like New Yorkers, Parisians have an "attitude" that can turn foreigners off in very short order even if the foreigner speaks French fluently.

Go outside Paris, and the French people are definitely way more friendly.

Correct, this is very true...being a French man and living in Paris I can tell this is true...even though i am one of the few nice Parisiens :rolleyes:
Parisien can sometime be jerks just ike in NYC, people are stressed out, everything goes fast...a capital city actually...But once you know Paris well it becomes just like a small village.

[Prom1]

Apple if you read this, please open more stores here in Germany and in France. There is a lot of money to be made here, and I need some serious help convincing all my French and German friends to EXTERMINATE their ****** Windows PCs.
The Mac is not known in vast areas in Europe and this needs to change.

You don't need that ... just point your German friends to any local Government office and sneak a peak at the PC screen ... its no longer running Windows but SUSE Linux. The German Gov told Balmer to take a hike (along with the exorbitant price hikes of using Windows infrastructure vs Open Source paid solutions: server solutions not just desktop). I think this occured some 3yrs back; unsure if its recently changed.

I agree in France Apple has a lot of money to be made.

Wait: I'm curious ... does OS X know the difference in the French language used in Montreal vs Paris? I'm aware that there are some differences and actual lack of words/phrases used in both locations.

[carlgo]

It is surprising that Apple has never even tried in so many countries.

Knowing nothing about Paris, I'll bet the first location was chosen primarily to be prestigious and get a lot of media attention. Later, they will open stores in lower-end places that are more convenient.

[boston44]

I agree with others..This store should boom in France, it's surprising it took this long to cater to the French..

[Marzzz]

Just got back from a week in Paris, and did have an opportunity to check out the new Apple Store. The store was beautiful with its winding glass staircase, location was very central but not obtrusive, and the staff I dealt with were very helpful and friendly and also spoke english. Both times I was there the place was completely packed.

Re: Paris- what someone said above was true- I am a native NYer and just looked at the people with a similar eye. There was definitely a share of rudeness, but many Parisians were pretty nice once you got to know them.

[SactoGuy18]

Re: Paris- what someone said above was true- I am a native NYer and just looked at the people with a similar eye. There was definitely a share of rudeness, but many Parisians were pretty nice once you got to know them.

I actually have a name for this attitude: cultural myopia. You get this a lot in places with really provincial attitudes like Boston, where the locals have this condescending attitude towards everyone else NOT from Boston. :rolleyes:

But getting back on topic, I'm hoping to see a lot of Apple Stores in France over the next decade. They got to have at least four stores in Paris plus additional stores in major regional cities in France like Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, and Lille.

[Jubijub]

Living in Lyon, I couldn't agree more :)