Microsoft to open Windows cafe in Paris

Parlez-vous Windows?

Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it plans to open a "Windows Cafe" in Paris where people will be able to try out the latest from Redmond while drinking a cup of coffee.

The cafe will open on Oct. 22--the day that Windows 7 launches, Microsoft said.

"This initiative expresses our intention to meet with the general public and show the new Windows experiences on PC, mobile and on the Internet," a Microsoft representative said in a statement to CNET News. "People will be able to discover Windows 7, the Windows phones and the Windows Live services."

Microsoft's statement comes after photos of the cafe appeared on a French technology Web site.

In the United States, Microsoft has announced plans to open a network of retail stores--with the first two opening this fall. More are slated to open next year.

For now, the Paris location is the only cafe planned, Microsoft said.

Others chimed in on Wednesday with some interesting tidbits. TechCrunch observes that, ahead of the opening, the cafe is already offering free Wi-Fi to those on the sidewalk, while Silicon Alley Insider notes that the location was previously home to an eatery called Wet Willie's.

[bartszyszka]

Should go great next to a McCafe (McDonald's)! I hope for Microsoft's case that they truly have a "new experience" to show... otherwise people are going to be pretty underwhelmed.

[cvaldes1831]

Merde alors.

[Random_Walk]

Damn... and just when we thought we as Americans would have made some strides towards repairing our reputation as a backwards pack of bumpkins with no sense of fashion...

[litcytran]

They need to refund me on Vista. It's a POS

[Rawnchie14]

Upgrade to 7, it is not a POS

[ckurowic]

How do you know Win 7 doesn't suck? Is it out yet?

[Seaspray0]

The beta and RC are available. Perhaps you should read the reviews of those.

[cosuna]

Seaspray0:

Reviews amount to Sh... remember what created the subprime crisis.... ratings, of course.
Longhorn, by the way, had pretty good reviews before transforming to Vista. Then things started splitting down the line from payed reviews and "independent" ones.

So, then again, maybe Windows Cafe's macchiato might need new drivers to work on my existing "Starbucks-labeled" coffee cups. LOL!

[litcytran]

They need to refund me on Vista. It's a POS

[Vegaman_Dan]

And you need to get a refund for your mouse- it's double clicking when you post. :)P

[Some_Crazy_Guy]

"And you need to get a refund for your mouse- it's double clicking when you post. :)P"

A new input device other than a mouse wouldn't hurt.

[ballmerisanape]

I think they call them "Best Buy" here in the US. Showcasing your OS this way is potentially disastrous... unless employees are constantly grooming the equipment.. any OS will become unstable after a bunch of different users.. with different skill levels.. click around for a while.

[Vegaman_Dan]

I'd have to disagree with this. In my facility, we have a dozen laptops out on display for public use with Win7 on them for the last six months. They have had hundreds of people logged on to each machine over that time and the systems have not required any maintenance.

With RTM out, we need to pull these machines from service to reimage them, but the darn things are always in use and in demand so it's hard to find an open time to do this.

[Rawnchie14]

I don't know... Microsoft has been hell-bent on destroying it's poor image... and I for one, am surprised that they're going to such lengths to do so. Almost flattered, that once again, we the consumers and our opinions matter again.

Ah... the effects of competition. I accept it with open arms, fight to the death for our affection!

[cosuna]

U.S. version will be called Mohave cafe's and they will try to convince you that Vista is great with a side order of bacon. LOL!!!

[NewsReader_]

This just in...

The EU has ruled that a cafe owned by Microsoft is anti-competitve since they only serve Starbucks coffee.

As a rememdy, Microsoft will be forced to open a "Windows Cafe - N" that only serves customers hot water and they have to bring their own coffee.

[Vegaman_Dan]

That's pretty funny, actually.

[Ina Fried]

Agreed. Nice one. --ina

[captain_numerica]

When you enter the cafe, you're presented with a ballot of alternative cafes you can order from.

[Commander_Spock]

You may have forgotten to add that: (They might as well include an Lotus Kona Machine (Coffee Maker) too for those who have a preference for this blend).

Cheers.

[ckurowic]

Wow you truly don't understand their previous rulings. Ignorance.

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

nice one

[Seaspray0]

Everyone knows apple invented hot water first.

[The_happy_switcher]

I'm sure it will as popular as Disneyland in Paris--i.e., deadsville.

[Vegaman_Dan]

See NewsReader_'s posting above for an example of successful humor.

[camp88]

Because what Paris needs so badly is another cafe.

[Seaspray0]

If it was in the USA, they might have merged it with a gas station.

[Commander_Spock]

Hope they will have some fresh brew of "Lotus Kona" along with music provided by the "Lotus Symphony" Orchestra!!!

And, it would have been cool if IBM also opened an Code-Base "OS/2" (Warp) Cafe'!

[RKMBrown]

Commander_Spock, you mentioned a while back (March) that you wanted to talk to anyone who was ex-OS/2 and a part of the IBM Layoffs. If you are still interested,.. and want to talk to one of the Lead Developer/Architects.


by Commander_Spock September 23, 2009 2:01 PM PDT
Hope they will have some fresh brew of "Lotus Kona" along with music provided by the "Lotus Symphony" Orchestra!!!

And, it would have been cool if IBM also opened an Code-Base "OS/2" (Warp) Cafe'!
Reply to this comment

[jtjt145]

Windows Tupper Ware Party ...

[falkensmaze]

Here is the same shop a year ago during the "Vista Era"

http://photoshack.com/displayimage.php?pid=34641&fullsize=1

[joshsc]

Not unless the entire building has been refaced. The door to the left looks totally different in the old picture with a pitched "roof" with dentals as compared to a flat one and no dentals on the Windows Cafe pics. I'm not saying it isn't the same location, just that if it is, the entire building has been refaced.

[topanaris]

Gasp!!! Another Microsoft article Mac Fanboys unite!!!!

[The_happy_switcher]

The lights are dimming tonight in Redmond from all the MS copiers running full blast.

[Vegaman_Dan]

@The_happy_switcher:

Microsoft's cpiers are by Xerox, primarily the Xerox Workcentre 55. The power systems in the buildings can handle the demand of the network printer/copiers with ease.

See, now I am posting from the side of facts and reality. You're posting from the side of Trolldom.

Give it a rest. For someone who claims to be "The_happy_switcher", you sure are a depressed and upset person. Or is the 'happy' title meant to be ironic and you're actually quite unhappy with your choice of the Apple OS X operating system?

[Seaspray0]

@applerocks1996. It's really sad when you have to insult others to make yourself feel better. You haven't changed anything other than your handle. Haven't you ever wondered why people loathed you? Why you changed your handle in the first place? You don't respect others choices.

[42istheanswer]

You Windows fanboys can have Win7. I tried to install it on my home machine an it puked on my wireless belkin card. Worked fine with Vista (which was a terrible OS) after some coaxing from the vendor. I've had enough. I was a LONG time M$ user. Not anymore. I'm using Ubuntu now and am not going to look back. The future is NOT with $200 desktop OS's. I could see if the hardware vendors worked closely with M$ and made all the hardware compatible but they don't. This is ridiculous. I can't use my HP scanner. I can't use my Belkin wireless card. Ha, I even went out and bought a Netgear wireless (Vista certified) and Win7 didn't like it. BS.

It's Ubuntu and Open Source from now on. Let's see how Google OS does next year.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Let me get this straight.... you're blaming *Microsoft* because *Belkin* didn't have a driver available for their product on an operating system that *hasn't been released yet*.

Perhaps you need to refresh your understanding of 'beta' and 'prerelease'.

Same story with HP. HP isn't releasing Win7 drivers until the OS goes public. Again, this is HP's decision, not Microsoft's.

The only BS I see is that which you are spewing. At what time do you expect the OS OEM to be responsible for writing drivers for hardware they do not produce? When you buy a Ford, do you complain that Ford hasn't produced engine mounts to drop your Chevy V8 into?

I do hardware testing- please give me the models of the equipement you are having trouble with and I'll verrify with the OEM's about driver support.

There you go. I can fix the problem... if you are willing to.

[Seaspray0]

I want to know how it worked in vista but didn't work on windows 7 since windows 7 uses the same drivers. What coaxing did you have to do for vista? You do know that the hardware manufacturers are the ones that write the drivers, right? What model belkin? I'm not buying your story, 42istheanswer.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Another option is to have Microsoft hire the unhappy Apple workers in one Apple retail store so upset at supposed unfair working conditions, threats of termination, forced to work without pay, etc, etc, etc.... that is making the employees planning to stage a walkout a week from Saturday.

Somehow I doubt it will happen and that in the mean time the entire store will have a change of staff to ensure it doesn't.

http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/22/lynwood-washington-apple-retail-store-employees-may-stage-walk-out/

[Dr_Girlfriend]

Just keep buying Microsoft crap and when it doesn't work, buy the upgraded version, Duh!

[Dan7637]

cool, im going to paris in march so im planning to visit with my macbook - that should cause a good laugh

[Seaspray0]

It's not a cafe with a wifi hotspot. It will be a microsoft store that serves coffee. You might want to check it out before strolling in with your laptop or you might be the one getting laughed at.

[tm_anon]

@Seaspray0

"Microsoft to open Windows cafe in Paris"

That's the title of the article. If you'd like I'll copy and paste the entire article for you as well. Doesn't say anywhere that it's a "microsoft store that serves coffee". It, in fact, clearly states that it's a Windows cafe where the "latest from Redmond" will be available to try.

If they don't allow laptops or other types of tech into the cafe, that would be a very bad thing for their international press.

[oby3000]

cause iv been running it for the last year and its great so great im still running it right now and cant stand going back to xp now! xp is just too buggy and OLD.

[tm_anon]

With this being Paris, the coffee had better be amazing or Parisians won't even give them a second glance.

Also, if anyone can post photos of Parisians using any sort of technology while sitting at a cafe, drinking coffee, I'd be surprised. This would work a lot better in San Francisco, Seattle or New York.