Microsoft opens ‘Windows Cafe’ in Paris

David Flynn
24 September 2009, 11:59 PM


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Drop in for some coffee, a croissant and free Wi-Fi, and you can get a side serve of Windows 7...


Microsoft’s entree into Apple-style retail stores was long expected, but it’s fair to say no-one saw this coming.

Smack in the middle of Paris’ 1st arrondissement – a busy tourist hub encompassing attractions such as The Louvre, the Tuileries Gardens and Palais-Royal – Microsoft is building the first ever Windows Cafe.



The store will open on October 22nd – the day that Windows 7 launches – with the aim of letting customers gets hands-on with the Windows 7 OS plus new Win7 hardware, Windows Mobile phones and the Windows Live suite of online services.



No mention has been made of if the Windows Cafe is seen as a long-term investment or just a short-term project, and there are said to be no plans to open a string of Windows cafes around the world.

The pics above come courtesy of NowhereElse.Fr.


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Phred (New user):

ha ha... Would you like some 'Blue Screen' with your coffee?

25 September 2009, 7:11 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

I'm getting the distinct impressions MS is lost when it comes to marketing.

Edit: Expanding on my comments, none of the marketing seems to be aimed at directing people to the product. It's all been simply giving things away, which won't work to sell the product.

25 September 2009, 10:54 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Aubrey (New user):

Quoting Tin:
none of the marketing seems to be aimed at directing people to the product.

I agree. I don't understand why MS needs to market directly to consumers through a dedicated shopfront. Surely they make most of their sales through OEM pre-installs? And boxed software is pretty much a commodity - there's nothing to compare except price and netstores are going to undercut brick-and-mortar shops every time.

I can only assume that this is a purely short-term defensive move - but what is eating their market share? According to their own figures, Windows and other MS software has 167% of the installed market so Mac and Linux don't actually exist in the wild.



25 September 2009, 1:31 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Ausman (New user):

They probably want to drug the coffee of Mac, Linux Google and Firefox users ;-)

26 September 2009, 1:50 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The Big Baboo (New user):

This is a really weird story :) Last time I was in Paris about four years ago,I noticed that every cafe I went past had "windows" so basically this is nothing new by Microsoft :)

28 September 2009, 10:25 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

NetR@nger (New user):

Have you guys noticed how most of the new movies have mac notebooks in them-it must be costing apple a fortune to buy the publicity

29 September 2009, 8:34 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

Doubt Apple have to pay them much... Apples have been favoured by arty types, including movie creators, for 10-15 years. All Apple would need to do is lower the prices.

Oh, and it's not just new movies... Remember Sandra Bullock's computers in The Net?

29 September 2009, 9:40 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The Big Baboo (New user):

Quoting Tin:
Remember Sandra Bullock's computers in The Net?
Va,va,va,vooooooooooooooom Do I ever ;) And she looked so cool operating them didn't she "Tin" I use that photo on my "Desktop" now and then when I get tired of looking at rolling "Windows" hills :)






03 October 2009, 8:34 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Halcon (User):

Ha! First was Windows toilet rolls in Japan, then this cheap trick, what Microsoft will do there?
Serving "start cappuccino" "Explorer cake" "Big Byte biscuits"?
It's completely laughable to make this sporadic stunt there.
All the costs will be absorbed into the ballooned pricing of Windows 7.
Think of this, Microsoft will try to impress everyone but the hidden trap is set upon the unsuspecting users, so is not a real deal, call it another BSOD scam courtesy of the devil you know Microsoft of course!

29 September 2009, 9:58 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

DandamanV (New user):

wow, i wish that Australia was as cool as the French, the're so classy!

30 September 2009, 8:14 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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