New Coke machines- anyone use one yet?

[URY914]

Coke has come up with a new machine that is beyond state of the art. 125 differnt favors, data on sales uploaded to the home office and a touch screen. Tea, OJ, soft drinks all out of the same tap.

Has anyone used it yet?

How do it work??

Touch-screen Coca-Cola Freestyle machine creates combos not found in bottles | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

100 flavours in new Coca-Cola soda machine | Springwise

[stomachmonkey]

There's one in a new pizza joint around the corner.

Annoying machine, and messy.

[VaSteve]

They have something like that at the bigger gas stations/C-stores. You can't quite pick 125 combinations, but you can add "bursts" to your regular sodas.

[msk1986911]

They've taken something very basic and easy to use and way overcomplicated the experience...too many choices.

[pete3799]

Originally Posted by msk1986911

They've taken something very basic and easy to use and way overcomplicated the experience...too many choices.

+1
Just give me a Coke.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by msk1986911

They've taken something very basic and easy to use and way overcomplicated the experience...too many choices.

They should have asked Apple to design the UI, seriously.

[URY914]

Originally Posted by pete3799

+1
Just give me a Coke.

...and a smile.

[McLovin]

Those have been around for a while.

I think they work great. If you want something basic like a Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, etc it's very easy. Just one push of one button.

If you want something more unusual, like one of the many different flavored punch type drinks, you do need to go a little "deeper" by pressing though a couple more screens, but it's quick and easy.

So, for example, on the first screen are a dozen or so of the "basics." If you want a coke, you just press the coke emblem and it will pour.

If you want a fruit punch, you press the fruit punch emblem. With that, because there are 7 or 8 different subtypes of punch, a new screen will come up with those 7 or 8. Pick, press and it pours.

I don't go to fast food very often, but I've tried it out a few times and thought it was pretty slick. Reminds me a lot of an Apple/iPod type of interface.

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

They should have asked Apple to design the UI, seriously.

Agreed. That's one thing that Apple definately figured out -- an intuitive user interface.

-Z-man.

[WolfeMacleod]

Used one the other day at a new restaurant we tried out. I think they called it the 360 machine.
I thought it was pretty slick. Orange coke? Lime Coke?
OK.. I like Lemon and Cherry Coke, always have. the Lime as a little...wrong.

I think I'll try Lemon-Orange Coke next time.
Or maybe Lemon-vanilla Orange Cherry.

They had stuff in there I've never even heard of.

[Joe Bob]

They had something like it back in the 50s.....I think they called it a Soda Fountain......(analog)....

[klaus]

More than the flavors they produce I think it is brilliant from a marketing point of view. These machines produce flavors that are not available in bottles or cans, the data of what is served out of these things is stored and fed back to the corporate level. It is a brilliant way to do market research IMHO.

[rattlsnak]

The only issue i have seen with them, is they are "slower" than a normal fountain machine.
i.e. It takes 5 seconds to get ice and fill your drink on a normal machine, with the Freestlye machine it takes 10 seconds longer at least because too many people are not familiar with it and it simply takes longer to navigate around so a line forms behind them.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

They had something like it back in the 50s.....I think they called it a Soda Fountain......(analog)....

Jerk!

[Racerbvd]

The only thing other than ice I want in a Coke is Wiskey or Rum....

[widebody911]

With some black pu55y?

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

The only thing other than ice I want in a Coke is Wiskey or Rum....

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by msk1986911

They've taken something very basic and easy to use and way overcomplicated the experience...too many choices.

Bingo.

This can be said of SO many things in our society these days. Cars to houses to appliances to airplanes, etc. etc. etc.

Most engineers (driven by marketers) haven't figured out that customers don't necessarily care about "extra features", they care about "better features that are easier to interface with and access/use". Apple for one has figured this out and the success speaks for itself.

More gobblygook and buttons and sub-menus are not necessarily better.

I have to admit I kinda' like the lime Coke though. And Vanilla (but good luck finding it in diet...)

[URY914]

The reason I started this thread is that I'm going to be working for a company which is responsible for installing a version of these machines in fast food restaurants across the country. Just wanted to know if anyone has seen them because I haven't yet.

[rattlsnak]

Tons of pictures and websites on it. Google "Coke" and "Freestyle"

[grendiers]

We have a Vendo H81A Coke machine from the late '50s. Been in the family since 1973. Works great, original refrigeration equipment, holds 2.5 cases of bottled beer. Fire it up when we have beer-drinking company coming over. You can see the electric meter speed up when that thing is on~!