Apple opens doors to France's first Apple Store

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Thousands flocked to The Carrousel du Louvre on Saturday, the scene of France's first Apple Store opening.



Beneath the Louvre Museum in Paris one can find a host of high-end shops and eateries and can now also find France's first Apple store. Saturday saw the store's opening, and thousands were on hand to peruse Apple's current line of products and take advantage of the Genius Bar's knowledgeable staff.



Gary Allen at ifoapplestore.com was there opening day and made several interesting observations. Allen reports that the employees were using the new iPod Touch POS devices and even managed to snap a few pictures of the tool in use. Called the EasyPay touch, it combines iPod touch features with a magnetic stripe reader, advanced barcode scanner and Apple-written software to facilitate both plastic and cash transactions. It replaces the Pocket-PC based solution currently in use in stores which opened prior to Paris.



Allen notes that the store "shares several features of the more spectacular Apple stores in the chain - views for visitors." Lower-level visitors have views of the spiral-glass staircase and can peer through the 30-foot tall window to the outside which is dominated by the inverted glass pyramid unique to the Carrousel du Louvre mall.



During a press briefing at the new location, Apple executives noted that France will see the fastest rate of new store openings of any other country to date. The Montpellier location will open Nov. 14 and summer 2010 will see a store near the Opera Ganier.















Manhattan Apple Store Spy Shots



Gizmodo has a spy-shot of the flagship Manhattan Apple Store slated to open on Saturday. The store is located at Broadway and 67th and reportedly cost $37.0 million dollars to construct.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    This store would definitely be on my to-see list the next time I visit Paris.
  • Reply 2 of 28
    Check the video



    http://vimeo.com/7486943



    Its about the new store and about the people waiting :-D
  • Reply 3 of 28
    djsherlydjsherly Posts: 1,031member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dlcmh View Post


    This store would definitely be on my to-see list the next time I visit Paris.



    Dude, it's a goddamn shop. What is wrong with you people?



    At least you won't wait all day to peer at the Mona Lisa. It will only take you 20 minutes to get in front of an iMac.
  • Reply 4 of 28
    sipadansipadan Posts: 107member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by djsherly View Post


    Dude, it's a goddamn shop. What is wrong with you people?



    At least you won't wait all day to peer at the Mona Lisa. It will only take you 20 minutes to get in front of an iMac.



    If you're from an Apple store-less country Apple and come for a vacation in Paris, sure it makes sense to visit the Apple store at the Louvre. If you're from the US, UK or the few privileged, well then it's beyond me... Apple stores are quite similar, and you'd be wasting sightseeing time
  • Reply 5 of 28
    When are they going to open one in Thailand? I'm sick

    of all these clueless sales in iStudio shops that don't know the difference between a bird's a@@ and an iPod. They are rude and technically ignorant.
  • Reply 6 of 28
    successsuccess Posts: 1,040member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iphonedeveloperthailand View Post


    When are they going to open one in Thailand? I'm sick

    of all these clueless sales in iStudio shops that don't know the difference between a bird's a@@ and an iPod. They are rude and technically ignorant.



    but they all have boobies right?
  • Reply 7 of 28
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sipadan View Post


    If you're from an Apple store-less country Apple and come for a vacation in Paris, sure it makes sense to visit the Apple store at the Louvre. If you're from the US, UK or the few privileged, well then it's beyond me... Apple stores are quite similar, and you'd be wasting sightseeing time



    But it's a Steve Jobs Glass Pyramid, Dude!



    Do you have any idea how many tourists flock to his Glass Cube in Manhattan?
  • Reply 8 of 28
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member
    How do they plan to get some french customers in there? Only tourists and foreign students are hanging out there. Average Parisian would die for to escape just that crowd...
  • Reply 9 of 28
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ivan.rnn01 View Post


    How do they plan to get some french customers in there? There are but tourists and foreign students. Average Parisian would die for to escape just that crowd...



    Deal with it. Do the French ever go to the crowded Louvre? Same thing.
  • Reply 10 of 28
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Deal with it. Do the French ever go to the crowded Louvre? Same thing.



    Parisians hate the Pyramid. They're convinced it's irreparable damage to the cultural heritage of the capital. So, they're trying hard to avoid Louvre.
  • Reply 11 of 28
    Ah, so it does appear to be in the old Virgin megastore space, I wasn't sure. The Carrousel du Louvre is a good central location, and certainly well visited by tourists who don't need to go there specially to see the Apple Store. The other obvious location would be on the Champs Elysees, but that's already covered by Fnac which has a good selection of Apple products. It's Opera Garnier by the way, not Ganier.
  • Reply 12 of 28
    I read the article with some interest in the EasyPay touch.

    When I was last buying something at an Apple store, the only machine the salesperson needed was the old hand-held (ugly, clunky) terminal. If you go to the gallery of shots of it at http://gallery.me.com/ifoman#100247 it clearly shows a customer swiping their card through a different POS terminal. If the EasyPay touch has a magnetic reader, why do they need that other ugly machine? Is this a step backwards? Does anyone have any other information on it?

    Thanks,

    John
  • Reply 13 of 28
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member
    There's still reason behind the placement like that: students. Apple's gonna hit it even bigger in Montpellier with enormous community of scholars over there.
  • Reply 14 of 28
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ivan.rnn01 View Post


    Parisians hate the Pyramid. They're convinced it's irreparable damage to the cultural heritage of the capital. So, they're trying hard to avoid Louvre.



    And the Eifel? The modern lights have ruined that as well- no?
  • Reply 15 of 28
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jcbigears View Post


    If the EasyPay touch has a magnetic reader, why do they need that other ugly machine? Is this a step backwards?



    Because France (and the UK, and other countries in Europe no doubt also) don't use the magnetic strip when processing credit card payments, they use chip & PIN. The EasyPay device would need a smart card reader, not a magnetic reader, to be useful here.



    -Rolf
  • Reply 16 of 28
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    And the Eifel? The modern lights have ruined that as well- no?



    This edifice is considered to be particularly useful for two things.
    1. To gaze at it through the window of exorbitantly expensive apartment; there's no lighting in the daylight, hence there's nothing to worry about,

    2. To commit suicide by throwing off its first level; who then cares about lights anyway?

  • Reply 17 of 28
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ivan.rnn01 View Post


    How do they plan to get some french customers in there? Only tourists and foreign students are hanging out there. Average Parisian would die for to escape just that crowd...



    This is true.



    However, it is obvious that Apple is targeting the 30 million (yes, that's correct!) visitors that the Louvre gets every year. (Paris Disneyland was based on a similar logic).



    And heck, it might end up being the attraction for a few Parisians to visit the Pyramid/Louvre too!
  • Reply 18 of 28
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ivan.rnn01 View Post


    This edifice is considered to be particularly useful for two things.
    1. To gaze at it through the window of exorbitantly expensive apartment; there's no lighting in the daylight, hence there's nothing to worry about,

    2. To commit suicide by throwing off its first level; who then cares about lights anyway?





    That second one is so philosophically Parisian.
  • Reply 19 of 28
    ezduzitezduzit Posts: 158member
    the french don't seem to have a problem visiting the other mac store.



    macdonald's
  • Reply 20 of 28
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    This is true.



    However, it is obvious that Apple is targeting the 30 million (yes, that's correct!) visitors that the Louvre gets every year. (Paris Disneyland was based on a similar logic).



    And heck, it might end up being the attraction for a few Parisians to visit the Pyramid/Louvre too!



    Those 30 millions should have already gotten some Apple Stores in their countries.



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