Who hangs out in a Starbucks long enough for wireless charging to have an impact? Unemployed actors? Aspiring writers?
Perhaps anyone who uses an electronic device. It's always nice to have a little charge.
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Starbucks to Roll Out 100,000 Wireless Smartphone Chargers at 7,500 U.S. Stores
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Perhaps anyone who uses an electronic device. It's always nice to have a little charge.
I wish this idea would be implemented at all airports. I can't tell you how many times that I have been walking around a terminal to look for an available outlet so I can charge my phone.
As for Starbucks. Great idea on their behalf, especially for the people that tend to hang out in their stores for long periods of time for work, etc. Personally, I only go into a Starbucks a handful of times a year (coincidentally when I'm traveling), and really don't tend to hang out there long enough to charge my phone.
You both sort of missed the point of my post. It was more a commentary about the people who hang out in Starbucks as opposed to getting a coffee and leaving. keysofanxiety and futbalguy got it.
To your point charlie, it's not just a case. Duracell has a whole host of accessories that you can purchase to augment your wireless needs. Currently Starbucks will let you try a case if you're curious but that will be going away if this takes off. But eventually you will need to purchase your own. If you're interested, Apple sells a kit right now. $120. To me, not worth it, but to someone else, maybe so.
Mac users.
Lollolol
Best burn ever!
Take that you crazy apple apologists !
Everything is useless until apple comes out with it! Haha
While it sounds good it really has little use as most phones cannot be charged wirelessly.
For those that can use wireless charging....leaving your phone in a Starbucks even for a second unattended is a problem waiting to happen.
Lastly, if this was a quick charge technology it might make sense but otherwise it's almost useless
For those that can use wireless charging....leaving your phone in a Starbucks even for a second unattended is a problem waiting to happen.
Lastly, if this was a quick charge technology it might make sense but otherwise it's almost useless
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
bushman, the idea is not to leave anything unattended, it's to grab some charges when you can. It's not sitting at Starbucks (or anywhere else) to charge from 2% to 100%. It's about going from XX% to XX+some% while you're hanging out in a place like that. Lots of people grab a few minutes for a coffee. Lots of people sit for 30-60 minutes for lunch, maybe again for dinner. With a solution like this, all that time they are idle, their devices could be charging. Instead, in many situations, the devices are trickling power away while their owner's drink or eat or socialize (the old fashioned way).
If you look around, you see the wired version of this everywhere. People trying to plug in for a little while to grab some juice before they have to move on.
Conceptually, if wireless charging pads like this could be everywhere (like sockets for wired charging now), the ability to charge a little and move then charge a little more and move, etc could keep devices without "whole day" batteries usable for the whole day. I suspect that's the primary goal of this.
Of course, if you have a pad at home, you might find it more convenient to put an iDevice to bed on that pad (rather than plugging it in) at night and wake up to a full charge. Or if you would hang out at a place like Starbucks for many hours, you could probably charge from 2% to 100% this way too.
I'd suggest that this is far from useless. Instead, I think it's far more useful than having less-than-whole-day batteries conk out so that you don't have a usable phone until you can find a socket, USB brick and wire to get some juice. Your "most phones" argument applies, but that's chicken & egg. If Apple would put it in all iDevices, that single chicken would yield a lot of eggs.
If you look around, you see the wired version of this everywhere. People trying to plug in for a little while to grab some juice before they have to move on.
Conceptually, if wireless charging pads like this could be everywhere (like sockets for wired charging now), the ability to charge a little and move then charge a little more and move, etc could keep devices without "whole day" batteries usable for the whole day. I suspect that's the primary goal of this.
Of course, if you have a pad at home, you might find it more convenient to put an iDevice to bed on that pad (rather than plugging it in) at night and wake up to a full charge. Or if you would hang out at a place like Starbucks for many hours, you could probably charge from 2% to 100% this way too.
I'd suggest that this is far from useless. Instead, I think it's far more useful than having less-than-whole-day batteries conk out so that you don't have a usable phone until you can find a socket, USB brick and wire to get some juice. Your "most phones" argument applies, but that's chicken & egg. If Apple would put it in all iDevices, that single chicken would yield a lot of eggs.
Oh great.... now they will wonder why we don't have them at Target next to our Starbucks.
And we apparently only have 1 corner with a plug in that area - because that is the corner everyone that hangs out there sits in. And yes, people linger in the Target Cafe. I was shocked!
And we apparently only have 1 corner with a plug in that area - because that is the corner everyone that hangs out there sits in. And yes, people linger in the Target Cafe. I was shocked!
Seems unlikely given Apple's obsession for thinness. I recall a story here a couple of years ago where they thought about wireless charging, but dismissed it because it would make the phone thicker.
Who hangs out in a Starbucks long enough for wireless charging to have an impact? Unemployed actors? Aspiring writers?
Not to mention C- students, wannabes, and countless people who are so frugal that won't buy in-car chargers. Bring a refill cup, pay $0.50 for coffee while charging phones.
Starbucks to Roll Out 100,000 Wireless Smartphone Chargers at 7,500 U.S. Stores
A little off topic here, but If you go to starbucks and say you're visiting from canada you'll get a free coffee.
I don't like the idea of leaving my phone on a table in a restaurant, let alone having to buy a case for this to work. doubt you'll be in Starbucks long enough for your phone to charge.
A little off topic here, but If you go to starbucks and say you're visiting from canada you'll get a free coffee.
I don't like the idea of leaving my phone on a table in a restaurant, let alone having to buy a case for this to work. doubt you'll be in Starbucks long enough for your phone to charge.
An even better way would just be to provide USB ports in the tables. That way you only need your lightning cable not a Duracell case that takes so long to charge you will never leave Starbucks.
Who hangs out in a Starbucks long enough for wireless charging to have an impact? Unemployed actors? Aspiring writers?
Have you ever been in LA?
Starbuck$ needs ways to keep pulling in customers as they've pretty much become just another fast food type of place. Their deal is to create a place for you to feel comfortable hanging out.
Any Sbux near a college is usually busy with students who are repeat customers, near businesses you'll find business types, and so on.
I can understand college kids hanging out but never understood the reasoning by businesses to interview job applicants at a Starbucks, and yet sadly I see it often.
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Have a Mophie that was really great until I plugged in the mini USB cable one day and the plug just went 'snap' and broke internally. Now I have a mint Mophie that won't work. Maybe wireless would be better...
But I liked the extra battery for those days when I was using the phone a lot and not able to get to power or stay long enough to recharge the phone.
Condition of use:
"Starbucks reserves the right to use and download your contact list and enable geolocation on your phone."
[ACCEPT] [I DON'T CARE]
Joking aside, I used to be worried about that when I saw shady-looking charging stations at shopping centres until I went to charge it on a public computer when it suddenly popped a notification up on my phone asking permission. Once I denied it the phone went into charge-only mode and that was the end of it.
Who hangs out in a Starbucks long enough for wireless charging to have an impact? Unemployed actors? Aspiring writers?
If I need to wait for a bus or something I'll often go into the closest coffee place because there is abundant seating and it's almost always relatively quiet. Anyways, if you are at 5-10% charge, 20 minutes of charging can mean the difference between your phone dying while sending a text and being able to browse the web while you sit in traffic*.
How fast is wireless charging anyways? You may have a point.
*I don't advocate doing this if you are actually the one driving.
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Not all people have cars.
I have the "official" Nexus charger: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GN1YKBU , which is now a small flat square. It charges pretty much equally as quickly as the wired charger. Maybe they learned and improved on the Nexus 4 setup. It has worked really well for me for about six months. I suppose YMMV, but I couldn't be happier.
Edit: Hey what's up with Macrumors hijacking my link and putting it through some referral junk?
I think Starbucks should be applauded for bringing in this facility, for all the nay sayers, if you don't want it don't use it.
It's actually a pretty cool feature. My wife and I walked into one of the test Starbucks close to our house in San Jose, Ca. We both have iPhone 5s and Starbucks gave us both Duracell charging cases for free. We were told that Duracell was letting them give away some cases as part of the testing.
The charging stations are built right into the tables. It worked really great but I must admit that I didn't like the look or feel of the Duracell case. It wasn't a case that I would want to use all the time. I travel to much to carry around several cases.
I wish they had adapters that would charge iPads also. I could really use that..
Some of us hang out in Starbucks because we travel for business and really don't want to finish that late night keynote in a lonely hotel room..
All in all it's something that I think will work great for Starbucks customers if they can make better looking cases or maybe a lighting type plug adapter.
The charging stations are built right into the tables. It worked really great but I must admit that I didn't like the look or feel of the Duracell case. It wasn't a case that I would want to use all the time. I travel to much to carry around several cases.
I wish they had adapters that would charge iPads also. I could really use that..
Some of us hang out in Starbucks because we travel for business and really don't want to finish that late night keynote in a lonely hotel room..
All in all it's something that I think will work great for Starbucks customers if they can make better looking cases or maybe a lighting type plug adapter.
The Conyers Starbucks has a guy who sets up video equipment and his Mac equipment every day. I'll bet he'd love a wireless charging station.
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Writer at home at Starbucks
Writer at home at Starbucks
First of all, when I go to Starbucks in the morning, my phone is charged above 98%. Second, the time spent in Starbucks and the amount of charge you'd get while there would not contribute enough to make it worth while. And last, anyone that can't manage their phone battery enough to need to rely on a gimmick like this needs far more than this to make it through the day.