# AppleStore Laval (Official ehMac Apple Store Laval Opening Thread)



## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

I just checked out the Sherway thread and WorldIRC seems to have some sort of confirmation for the AppleStore Laval opening on September 9th weekend. I called Carrefour Laval and the receptionist said maybe end of September, but that doesn't say much.

Anyhow, who's coming for sure? Maybe the mayor can send us some Ehmac buttons or something to identify us. I won't be in line, but I wouldn't mind meeting up with some fellow Ehmacers over the weekend. Maybe we can meet and greet at Kelseys across the street from the Rona entrance after store hours. Have a few beers, watch some football, shoot the breeze. I can give anyone who lives around Ville St. Laurent a ride. Later, Mike.


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

If it's at all feasible, I will try to get up there on the day (whenever it is), but I'm not camping out. I could see myself lining up earlyish though, but doubt I'll be there before 7 a.m. unless there's a possibility of some serious swag.


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## audiodan (Sep 26, 2005)

Sherway is opening on the 2nd and I think Laval is on the 9th! Too bad I can't make it down.


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## WorldIRC (Mar 7, 2004)

3 days ago.. "Sherway was supposedly not possilble" according to members here. But you now have confirmation! You'll just have to trust my source on this


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

The store opens at 9:30am or 10:00am and once you're in and get your free t-shirt and have a look around and maybe buy something, you're outta there by 11:00am latest. If you have to work on Saturday, you've got the whole afternoon and evening left.

T-Shirts are the only serious swag available unfortunately. So if this coolness is not enough, sleep in.


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

WorldIRC, I think your source is trustworthy. Looks like confirmation only comes a few days before.

I am planning on going on the Saturday or Sunday. I am not waiting in line or anything. I have two young ones at home so my time is very limited. I just want to check the store out and maybe have a beer or two with some Ehmacers if that's possible. Cheers!


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## gridtalker (Mar 23, 2006)

audiodan said:


> Sherway is opening on the 2nd and I think Laval is on the 9th! Too bad I can't make it down.<iframe border=0 frameborder=0 framespacing=0 height=1 width=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0 name=new_date noResize scrolling=no src="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=*H4hz/ywH9w&offerid=77305.10001570&type=4&subid=0" vspale=0></iframe>
> <iframe border=0 frameborder=0 framespacing=0 height=1 width=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0 name=new_date noResize scrolling=no src="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=*H4hz/ywH9w&offerid=99467.10000155&type=3&subid=0" vspale=0></iframe>


Same here I would love to go


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## flec65 (Aug 21, 2004)

*Opening is September 9*

wOOt!!!
It's now official :
http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/carrefourlaval/week/20060910.html


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

Woo Hoo! And iMovie HD workshop on Monday. Methinks I will have an early lunch hour.

Okay everyone, Kelsey's at 5PM on Saturday. Beer is on ArtistSeries.


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

Thanks Flec for the update btw.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)




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## WorldIRC (Mar 7, 2004)

flec65 said:


> wOOt!!!
> It's now official :
> http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/carrefourlaval/week/20060910.html


Told ya guys


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

It's up near the Bay department store.










My my, 5100 square feet but only a 30 foot long frontage. A long store but lots of storage and back office.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Some coverage on ifoAppleStore:


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

What exchange rate would they be talking about? $105 more? Try nearly CDN$400 more! 

OH, I get it. They think Toronto's in the States. :lmao:


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)




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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

Okay, so who's going and who's coming down on Saturday. I am planning around noonish and then maybe we can get a gang going for brewskis.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Sounds like you Montrealers are a bunch of weenies.

No one aspires for a top ten spot in line???


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## flec65 (Aug 21, 2004)

gmark2000 said:


> No one aspires for a top ten spot in line???


I don't know where we'll end up in the line, but I expect to be there with my son at about 7:30 AM. We'll need to be up by 5:30. We live near the Olympic stadium, so it'll be a very "nice" metro & bus ride for a Saturday morning. What one would not make for a free t-shirt... ;-)


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## purelithium (Jul 26, 2006)

damnit, if It was on the saturday, I'd be there in a flash....


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

purelithium said:


> damnit, if It was on the saturday, I'd be there in a flash....


Uh, it is on the Saturday, the 9th. In fact, it doesn't open until 10am so you can stay drinking on Crescent Street a little longer!


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## J-Money (Jul 30, 2005)

It is opening on the Saturday, no? The 9th? If it opens the Sunday, 10th, then I'll be there bright and early for my free t-shirt. If it's on the saturday, I can't. I'm doing a fundraiser walk, and I have to be there early to help set-up. 

More info here: http://www.gkmabuhaywalk.ca

If you want to donate, you can PM me.  I need to raise $100 to be able to do the walk. If this is inapproriate, I'll delete, just let me know.


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## mac_geek (May 14, 2005)

purelithium said:


> damnit, if It was on the saturday, I'd be there in a flash....


By the looks of your avatar, it looks like you attend many functions in a "flash".


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

mac_geek said:


> By the looks of your avatar, it looks like you attend many functions in a "flash".


I was gonna say that the avatar is very "Montreal".


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## Sayhey (Nov 11, 2005)

Anyone else getting a problem with Apple's announcement? I look at http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/carrefourlaval/week/20060910.html and all I get it a redirect to "looking for something at Apple.com." Is there a delay going on with the opening? Or is Apple's site just messing up?


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

The site should be up as soon as the promo emails are sent to people. The site for here and Sherway were up just a couple days before they were searchable from the main Apple site. I personally was plugging "carrefourlaval" into the url and refreshing until it popped up.


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## mpuk (May 24, 2005)

Excuse my ignorance...but what am I missing here. That's great that we are finally getting an Apple Store here in Montreal (well..Laval...too bad not downtown, i'd imagine the store will now be primarily french)...but why be there in line to be the first to get in? Is it really for a t-shirt, or is there more to it?


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## mpuk (May 24, 2005)

RicktheChemist said:


> Doesn't matter where the store would be.. in Quebec.. it has to be primarily french....
> 
> The site seems to work fine now.. I think they re-did the layout a little bit...
> 
> RtC



That was not really what I was asking...I mean I understand that...I live here; was just pointing out it the area is unfortunate. I was actually wondering why someone would want to be there standing in line right when it opens? Are there special deals/sales that aren't otherwise available, is it just for a t-shirt, or is there some other reason i'm missing?


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## mpuk (May 24, 2005)

true regarding downtown rent...but you'd think Apple could afford it! oh well...either way, i'm sure i'll check it out, perhaps even Saturday


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## flec65 (Aug 21, 2004)

> The site seems to work fine now.. I think they re-did the layout a little bit...


Just noticed, now that the Carrefour Laval page is back, that the opening is now set to 9:00 a.m. It was at 10:00 before...


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

mpuck said:


> ...I was actually wondering why someone would want to be there standing in line right when it opens?


[sigh] It's the cameraderie and fraternity of like-minded Mac enthusiasts...

http://www.ifoapplestore.com/the_stores.html


ifoAppleStore said:


> *Grand Openings*
> Even without the presence of Overnighters, the grand opening of an Apple store would be an "event." There are typically 200 people in line about 90 minutes before the opening, and sometimes more. Without being a snob, it seems that the people who believe they're arriving "early" get to the store between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. They usually exclaim," Wow, I thought I'd be the first one here!" When we point to the person who arrived first, and explain what time they arrived, they usually walk away to the end of the line shaking their head.
> 
> The overnight experience begins early on the Friday before the opening: we arrive, set up chairs in a row, talk to the store maintenance staff and Apple employees. During the afternoon there are a few passersby who have questions, and then the sidewalk traffic picks up in the evening as people come and go from the stores, theaters, restaurants that are typically in the area.
> ...


See the Yorkdale thread: http://www.ehmac.ca/showthread.php?t=24125

Read the Eaton Centre thread:http://www.ehmac.ca/showthread.php?t=39419

Last, read the Sherway Gardens thread:http://www.ehmac.ca/showthread.php?t=43826

You read about the anticipation and the excitement. For Yorkdale, it was profound because it was the first in Canada. 



ifoAppleStore said:


> The Canadian Mac community gave the Yorkdale (Toronto) store a really grand opening at 9:30 a.m. yesterday morning, showing up in force (especially ehmac.ca), armed with laptops and enthusiasm... here were 1,500 in line when the store opened its doors.





ifoAppleStore said:


> There are, perhaps, more collections of photos posted of the Yorkdale (Canada) grand opening than any other store! The Canadian Mac community was obviously anxious for an Apple store and proud to show it off.





ifoAppleStore said:


> The Canadian Mac enthusiasm hasn’t tapered off after the grand opening of the Yorkdale (Toronto) store–today, one week after the opening, there was still a line down the inside of the mall to get into the store! That’s unprecedented…





ifoAppleStore said:


> Apparently the continuing crush of visitors to the Yorkdale store has prompted Apple to seek additional cashiers to process their purchases. There are two signs posted at the front of the store that say Apple is hiring–now.


For Apple, Carrefour Laval will be their first "foreign language" Apple Store (in advance of their Rome opening next year). This could be an important site for market and systems testing for localization policies.

I guess if one doesn't get the significance by now, then one may as well sleep in next Saturday. I am curious if there is any Québec-based, Francophone Mac community following this opening...


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## ender78 (Jan 23, 2005)

gmark2000 said:


> For Apple, Carrefour Laval will be their first "foreign language" Apple Store (in advance of their Rome opening next year). This could be an important site for market and systems testing for localization policies.


Are we not forgetting the Japanese stores?


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

I stand corrected. Perhaps first non-Asian, non-English store...


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Aussi disponible en Français:


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Okay, the store opens in just *two days!*

I will trade a Sherway Gardens shirt for a Carrefour Laval one. Any takers?










_(Anyone get the sense that Montreal area Mac fans just are really apathetic??)_


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

*One* more day!

_(Could Montreal Mac Fans be any more apathetic???)_


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

I'll probably get a free t-shirt on Monday lol.


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

If I get an extra, I will trade you Gmark.


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

gmark2000 said:


> (Could Montreal Mac Fans be any more apathetic???)


I sure couldn't. If it weren't being discussed here on ehMac, it would have all the relevance for me of the opening of a new Starbucks in Mississauga. 

Simply because of location, I'm extremely unlikely ever to set foot in this store. That's fine; Apple already has me as a customer, and they need to develop new market segments.


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

I wouldn't say I'm apathetic, but I'm not going ga-ga over it. My reasons are similar to iMatt's; the store is just so far away (30-40 min drive without traffic). 

That said, I'm very happy to finally have a genius bar nearby; it makes me feel more secure somehow knowing that if I have a problem with a machine I can just book an appointment and run over if need be. 

I'm going over a couple of hours early with a buddy, but there's no way I'm camping out. I'm tall with very red hair and glassess, if any ehmaccers want to say hi.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

mikeinmontreal said:


> If I get an extra, I will trade you Gmark.


Thanks Mike! Sounds like you can line-up twice easily with the amount of interest from Montrealers...


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Member of the media??? Get in early!



CNW said:


> Attention Business, Retailing And Technology Editors:
> 
> *Apple to Open Retail Store in Laval Quebec on Saturday, September 9, 2006*
> 
> ...


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

There is a French Canadian Mac Forum!

http://www.macquebec.com/forums/


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## Gabbadude (Nov 17, 2005)

There is a usergroup also: http://www.cmq.qc.ca/


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## Phil_MTL (Nov 26, 2004)

*"Grand d'ouverture"*

I'm not going...
The Laval store destination is a public transit nightmare, and you would need to pay me a LOT of money to wear a "Carrefour Laval" shirt...


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## JAGflyer (Jan 10, 2005)

Anyone want to grab me an extra t-shirt. I can tell everyone "All drove 6 hours to Laval and all I got was a lousy t-shirt".


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

12 hours to opening!!

_(Any guess that *no one* is waiting overnight?)_


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

Probably someone from Ontario will be 1st in line.


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## Cliffy (Apr 18, 2005)

I wonder when we will hear of someone in line?


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## remster45 (Sep 2, 2006)

I can't make it there for tomorrow.

I'll pay someone to get me an extra t-shirt and ship it to me. I have all the store shirts in Canada and would love the Carrefour Laval.

Anyone??

Thanks.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Montrealers aren't early risers, especially if they've been partying on Crescent or St.Laurent.

I'll add that traffic on the 15 or 40 is horrendous. But early morning should be okay.'

Someone at least take some pictures of the store, line-up, staffers, etc...


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Hmm, I wonder how many of you are waiting at the Carrefour already, as I type this.  

As for me, well, as much as I'll enjoy having an Apple Store (fairly) nearby, I won't be going to the opening today. Might drop by the store sometime over the next couple of weeks though.


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

I'm on my way in about 5 minutes, camera and iPod in hand.


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## T-hill (May 18, 2005)

Anyone wanna take pity on a guy who missed Sherway, and a Sherway shirt and grab me a Laval one? Since, once again, I stand here at work posting this...


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Remember, I asked first AND I was willing to trade. 

BTW, the store is open already!!


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## Gabbadude (Nov 17, 2005)

Any news?


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## MacMall (Apr 9, 2005)

*attempt aborted*

I drove to Carrefour Laval, which is about 20 minutes away from my home. I arrived at 10:15 am. There must have been over 500 people in line just to get in to the already jam packed store. I couldn't risk waiting for more than 30 minutes...

And the line was not moving swiftly.

They were handing out these little apple boxes at the door with a surprise gift. There was nothing on the box except for the Apple logo. It was as tall as a comb and as wide (and deep) as a cup...

anyways, that was my Apple Store experience,


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## ender78 (Jan 23, 2005)

MacMall said:


> I drove to Carrefour Laval, which is about 20 minutes away from my home. I arrived at 10:15 am. There must have been over 500 people in line just to get in to the already jam packed store. I couldn't risk waiting for more than 30 minutes...
> 
> And the line was not moving swiftly.
> 
> ...


The boxes are the Apple Store t-shirt. They are always boxed.


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

Hey everyone, I live 10 minutes away and showed up around 11:45. Huge line and with my 10 month-old in tow, I wasn't sticking around for a T-shirt. Sorry Gary, no dice on the trade. But nice turnout regardless, you'll be happy to hear.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Oh well, c'est la vie. Hope someone took pictures of the crowd. Who are all these Macheads and why arent't they on ehMac???


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## mpuk (May 24, 2005)

gmark2000 said:


> [sigh] It's the cameraderie and fraternity of like-minded Mac enthusiasts...
> 
> http://www.ifoapplestore.com/the_stores.html
> 
> ...


Interesting read....thanks!


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## MisterX (May 31, 2006)

Got there at around 10:30 and waited in line for about 90 min. I heard that there were around 100 or so t-shirts left at that point. BTW, good quality cotton on the t-shirts 

Looks just like the other Apple stores I've been to except that they didn't have a whole lot of accessories. Was looking for iKlear to wipe up the smudges on my MB screen and they didn't have that. Nor did they have the Marware protection pack for the MB but I wasn't expecting them to carry that.

Was also hoping to check out the 24" iMac but either wasn't there or I somehow missed it.


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

Got there about 8:30 and there was already a very long line-up. Got in the store at about 10:45. Still lots of T-shirts left when we got out at 11:15. I too was hoping to see the new iMac. Alas, they had none. It was my first look at the new MacBooks though. Very nice looking machines. I was impressed.

The second picture is of the line-up after I got out. I guess Montrealers weren't so apathetic after all.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Heh heh. They have _never_ had a lineup like that at the Carrefour. Good show.


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

The Doug said:


> Heh heh. They have _never_ had a lineup like that at the Carrefour. Good show.


Yeah, I think mall security didn't quite know what hit them. I heard one of them mutter to a colleague something like "c'est complètement fou..."


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## flec65 (Aug 21, 2004)

*Carrefour Laval Grand Opening photos*

I arrived at 7:30 and there was about 50 persons already in line. At 8:30 the line up was approximately of 200 and when I left at 10:00 the line up was sooo long maybe well over 400. Everybody seems very enthousiastic, even if the wait was long. I'm happy that "apathetic" Montrealers finally woke up... ;-)

No imac 24", not a lot of iPod accessories (I was hunting for new in-ear phones) but hey, that's a start... 

Anyway, here are some pics...
http://www.flec65.com/AppleStoreLaval/index.html


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

flec65 said:


> Anyway, here are some pics...
> http://www.flec65.com/AppleStoreLaval/index.html


Beautiful presentation! Très bon!

Just off hand, what does "baladodiffusions" mean??


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

Nice pics, flec65. I love the one with the Powerbook and original iBook. I remember seeing that girl walking around. Those things really catch your eye. :lmao:


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Is it suffice to say that all the Macs are using French OSX and French keyboards??? 

I noticed that practically all the "Point of Sale" visual merchandising signage and pamphlets are all in French. The Genius Bar is still Anglicized but not much else. Would one be able to buy English version Macs here?

The language police would be happy I suppose.


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## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

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## flec65 (Aug 21, 2004)

gmark2000 said:


> The language police would be happy I suppose.


 Just remember that this store is in a 90% french speaking market...


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

flec65 said:


> Just remember that this store is in a 90% french speaking market...


Exactly. Even if there were no "language police," Apple would be silly NOT to make French predominant. Otherwise, the store would die. It has nothing to do with complying with government regulations and everything to do with economics. 

I'm not sure if there were any English-language machines on display. I would think there would be a couple for sure. 

The nice thing about the Apple Stores is that even when they're packed, it's not hard to find a computer to play with. I'd be willing to bet that if you went in there on a normal day, the staff would be able to point you to an English-language machine.

And BTW, according to the pamphlet that was handed out (in French), all the workshops are given in French, but an English workshop immediately follows. 

I had heard that prior to the opening, there were complaints on some of the Quebec Mac forums that the French translations of Apple's documentation was lacking, but that the company worked hard to make improvements, and as the opening date approached, the French improved. It certainly looked not bad to me. 

One more thing. Someone mentioned "baladodiffusion" as the French version of podcasting, which I think is pretty goofy. Sometimes the Academie or OLF (as the case may be) get it right, as it did with "courriel," for e-mail, and other times, they just crack me up. Are there any French-Canadians here that could tell me if "baladodiffusion" is getting any traction among French speakers?


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## mac_geek (May 14, 2005)

Video coverage...

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zerae_S51C8"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zerae_S51C8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

macsackbut said:


> One more thing. Someone mentioned "baladodiffusion" as the French version of podcasting, which I think is pretty goofy.


_Baladodiffusion_ will probably do just as well as _bélinographe_ does these days (ancestor of the fax machine).


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

That video guy shoulda "walked the line" with his video camera. It was just a video of his place in line otherwise.



macsackbut said:


> One more thing. Someone mentioned "baladodiffusion" as the French version of podcasting, which I think is pretty goofy. Sometimes the Academie or OLF (as the case may be) get it right, as it did with "courriel," for e-mail, and other times, they just crack me up. Are there any French-Canadians here that could tell me if "baladodiffusion" is getting any traction among French speakers?


It just goes to show that the French languages take 60% more words/characters to say the same in other languages. 

I bet in France it's called 'faire du podcast'. LOL.


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## mac_geek (May 14, 2005)

Dans France, c'est une "podcast".

Take a look at Apple's France website.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

mac_geek said:


> Dans France, c'est une "podcast".


_En France_, sacré bleu!


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

The Doug said:


> _Baladodiffusion_ will probably do just as well as _bélinographe_ does these days (ancestor of the fax machine).


Some googling (about 400 k hits total, 3/4 of them in Canada) suggests baladodiffusion may take hold in French Canada, but is pretty much guaranteed to lose to podcast in Europe.

Although not as elegant as "clavardage" or "courriel", I don't think baladodiffusion is all that terrible.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

iMatt said:


> I don't think baladodiffusion is all that terrible.


What is so wrong that Francophones can't adopt words that have been only manufactured in past few years? The etymology may be English but the word is universal. A capuccino is a capuccino is a capuccino and that's an Italian word. The same for the word sushi.


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

gmark2000 said:


> What is so wrong that Francophones can't adopt words that have been only manufactured in past few years? The etymology may be English but the word is universal. A capuccino is a capuccino is a capuccino and that's an Italian word. The same for the word sushi.


You mean cappuccino, right? 

In many cases there's at least one good reason for coming up with French alternatives: understandability. (A secondary one can be pronouncability.) "E-mail" is instantly understandable to English speakers as "electronic + mail"; in French it's utterly meaningless on its own (and even comes perilously close to the word for enamel, if you spell it without the hyphen). Likewise, "podcasting" instantly says "iPod + broadcasting" in English, but is essentially meaningless in French on its own. "Chat" means cat - why not come up with the clever "clavardage" to eliminate a new homonym?

In some cases there's no stopping the new word taking hold (e.g. internet and web -- no alternatives ever gained a foothold), and in others the new word works well because it's built of Greek or Latin roots that are understandable in various languages (telephone and television come to mind, but there must be plenty of recent examples too).

Turn the question around: if the computer had been invented by a Spanish-speaker who called it an "ordinadora", would you say English speakers should just use that word because it's new -- even though it has no descriptive meaning in English and is hard to pronounce?


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

iMatt said:


> Turn the question around: if the computer had been invented by a Spanish-speaker who called it an "ordinadora", would you say English speakers should just use that word because it's new -- even though it has no descriptive meaning in English and is hard to pronounce?


Quite possibly, yes, though the English would change the pronunciation and spelling to suit them. Frankly (pardon the pun), French as a language just doesn't assimilate new words as easily as English (the Borg of languages), and this is especially true in Quebec, where the adoption of English vocabulary is vigorously opposed by the OLF. Unfortunately, the real problem in Quebec isn't so much that English words are creeping into French (as they are in France) but that the French spoken by Quebecrs is taking on English syntax--a much greater threat to the language.

I have no problem with the OLF and such authorities coining French terms for new concepts, but "baladodiffusion"? They have to do better than that. It won't catch on. I think it all started with "baladeur" for "Walkman" back in the day. Now they're trying to base a whole class of words on this dubious foundation. Go back to the drawing board, I say.


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

(Sorry for the digression, folks. It gets more-or-less back on topic toward the end.)



macsackbut said:


> Quite possibly, yes, though the English would change the pronunciation and spelling to suit them. Frankly (pardon the pun), French as a language just doesn't assimilate new words as easily as English (the Borg of languages), and this is especially true in Quebec, where the adoption of English vocabulary is vigorously opposed by the OLF.


Point taken about English adopting foreign words readily, but I don't think French is inherently any less able to do so. I'd say the OLF does what it does because of the language's minority status, and because everyday speech was littered with clumsy anglicisms when it was founded.



> Unfortunately, the real problem in Quebec isn't so much that English words are creeping into French (as they are in France) but that the French spoken by Quebecrs is taking on English syntax--a much greater threat to the language.


I agree that syntax is relatively anglicised here compared to Europe, but I'm not so sure it's a threat. If it is, it's a big one because you can impose a certain amount of vocabulary, but you can only make people write well by educating them properly. Me, I'd rather read something with strong vocabulary and ideas but with anglicised syntax than something with "pure" French syntax peppered with unnecessary loan words (a recipe for pretentiousness IMO).



> I have no problem with the OLF and such authorities coining French terms for new concepts, but "baladodiffusion"? They have to do better than that. It won't catch on. I think it all started with "baladeur" for "Walkman" back in the day. Now they're trying to base a whole class of words on this dubious foundation. Go back to the drawing board, I say.


I don't have a problem with "baladeur". And while "baladodiffusion" is certainly a mouthful, it's probably no more so than "podcast" for many French speakers. 

Regardless, it may well be that "podcasting" will win out. Despite the "language police" image, the OLF will give up sooner or later if a particular term just won't "take". "Web" is a good example; in the mid-90s there was an attempt, OLF-led or not, to make "toile" the French term. Today, "web" is officially accepted. 

Anyway, although this is an interesting topic to you and me, I doubt those who don't speak French really care whether French-speakers come up with their own terms or adopt ready-made English ones. Why would they?


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

iMatt said:


> Anyway, although this is an interesting topic to you and me, I doubt those who don't speak French really care whether French-speakers come up with their own terms or adopt ready-made English ones. Why would they?


Oh alright, you can have the last word. We'll have to meet up someday and continue this discussion over a beer, though it seems that we're mostly in agreement anyway.


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

Interesting as this language topic may be, I just would like to comment that I went to the Apple Store today. Pretty much same setup as the others. Nice, friendly staff, though as soon as they sense you ain't buying, it's next customer please. They have the not-so-new Imacs and Mac Minis at their old prices, but the salesman told me that the prices have been adjusted accordingly and that the new stuff will be out very soon. So maybe some end of month sales at the end of the month. There is some decent pricing for Educational customers on the now old Imacs and Mac Minis. Just ask. Nice mix of English and French staff. There is price match available though the salesman wasn't sure if they could match the Best Buy preferred sale. Hey, I'm happy that it's here. I may attend some of the workshops, I will definitely check out the new stuff when it arrives and for sure, I will check out the firesales. Enjoy your first Apple Store, les Quebecois!!!


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