Every McDonalds has free wi-fi in the UK, so does Starbucks.
No accounts, no registration, just connect to it.
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Starbucks to Offer Free Wi-Fi at All U.S. Stores
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Every McDonalds has free wi-fi in the UK, so does Starbucks.
No accounts, no registration, just connect to it.
I still prefer 3G. Most of the Starbucks and McDonald's I've been to have terrible WiFi networks. The latency and up/download speeds are too slow to be useful.
Ah, yes. I remember using McDonalds wifi the last time I was back. Do Apple store in the UK have free wifi? They do in Japan.
I like their coffee. TAKE THAT, INTARWEBS.
Too bad I just got a 3G unlimited data plan a couple months back.
Too bad I just got a 3G unlimited data plan a couple months back.
Yeah, not even close.
DD beats out Starbucks in every single taste test I've ever seen, including my own. Caribou has MUCH better coffee, and they are usually cheaper. The Douwe Egberts stations found throughout many different establishments have better coffee than Starbucks. I can brew a better a MUCH better cuppa at home with various beans, including Douwe Egberts which is a fantastic cofffee.
What Starbucks has done (and done well) is trained people to enjoy terrible, burnt coffee. It has become "trendy" to walk around with a Starbucks paper cup, almost as if it is a fashion accessory to make you look cool.
Of course, people say the same thing about the iPhone (or any Mac product).
My opinion is that people walk around with Starbucks coffee (and iPhones for that matter) because (shock!) they actually like it.
You are forgetting one thing though:
Apple products are liked because they are high quality, and rated very highly when tested. Starbucks products are not.
I guess it depends on what review you read. I recall a review in Cook's Illustrated (which used blind testing and aren't swayed by advertisers as they accept no advertising) and they rated Starbucks highly. But then I guess you'll remember the reviews that confirm your biases and I'll remember those that confirm mine.
Add coffee to the list of silly things people will vigorously defend or attack on the internet (along with operating systems, cell phones, beer and which state has the best barbecue).
There goes available seating
I saw the price profiling done by Starbucks via the gold and stored value cards as a reasonable trade-off for 2 hours of daily wifi. (Though in practice, I have never been limited)
Now that the service will be entirely free, I suspect a lack of seating will do more to turn customers away than to bring them in. The 2 hour time limit, if enforced, at least guarantees some turnover. And, I suspect there was probably some revenue sharing on the paid service.
Besides all of that, I'd actually pay if they'd improve throughput and roll out 802.1x for logon. (I hate captive portal).
I'll hope for the best with this policy shift, but I'm expecting otherwise.
I saw the price profiling done by Starbucks via the gold and stored value cards as a reasonable trade-off for 2 hours of daily wifi. (Though in practice, I have never been limited)
Now that the service will be entirely free, I suspect a lack of seating will do more to turn customers away than to bring them in. The 2 hour time limit, if enforced, at least guarantees some turnover. And, I suspect there was probably some revenue sharing on the paid service.
Besides all of that, I'd actually pay if they'd improve throughput and roll out 802.1x for logon. (I hate captive portal).
I'll hope for the best with this policy shift, but I'm expecting otherwise.
And just last year I was thinking of getting one of those Starbucks Gold Cards just for the wi-fi. Glad it was only a fantasy.
Their coffee is ok though too much sugar and fat once you start getting "creative" with ones order. I am not one of those brand loyalists nor am I a brand hater.
The last time I had a Starbucks drink was when they were doing the half off on frappuccino drinks special.
Their coffee is ok though too much sugar and fat once you start getting "creative" with ones order. I am not one of those brand loyalists nor am I a brand hater.
The last time I had a Starbucks drink was when they were doing the half off on frappuccino drinks special.
It's 1am and I could really go for 3 of those right now.
You may not want to do that.
I ate there one night about 10yrs ago and got the worst case of food poisoning EVER! I lost count throwing up after about the 8th time...
I make sure I eat there only during the busy time so the meat hasn't been sitting around for 5 hours...
I just order the blended drinks from Starbucks. I'm not too crazy about most coffee, anyway. In general, I go to independent cafés to use the wifi and order the food; there's a bit more local flavour and much better service.
Saw this relevant article today:
Coffee shops are taking Wi-Fi off the menu
To stimulate sales, coffeehouses are pulling the plug on the Net.
Coffee shops are taking Wi-Fi off the menu
To stimulate sales, coffeehouses are pulling the plug on the Net.
Housed in an old San Francisco warehouse, Four Barrel Coffee — with its vintage record player, 53-year-old coffee roasting machine, tables hewn from recycled wood and wall of mounted boar heads — calls one of the world's most wired cities home.
But don't expect to get an Internet connection there.
Coffee connoisseurs hooked on this roaster's beans won't find a working signal — or even a power outlet. The uninitiated often try to plug into a fake one that owner Jeremy Tooker spray painted on the wall as a gag.
"There are lots of marks on the drywall," Tooker said, laughing.
About 30 miles south in Palo Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley's technology industry, the Coupa Cafe offers some of the fastest Internet service in town. But even this popular hangout for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists bans Wi-Fi on weekends to make room for customers sans laptops.
...
But don't expect to get an Internet connection there.
Coffee connoisseurs hooked on this roaster's beans won't find a working signal — or even a power outlet. The uninitiated often try to plug into a fake one that owner Jeremy Tooker spray painted on the wall as a gag.
"There are lots of marks on the drywall," Tooker said, laughing.
About 30 miles south in Palo Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley's technology industry, the Coupa Cafe offers some of the fastest Internet service in town. But even this popular hangout for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists bans Wi-Fi on weekends to make room for customers sans laptops.
...
There's a place on Valencia St. in SF that proudly advertises 'NO WIFI'. There are a few others that have restrictions, like having to make a purchase over $5. Generally, if I'm using the wifi at a café, I try to buy something more than a $1.50 cup of coffee to defray the costs.