Announced today, Starbucks is gearing up to transition its WiFi relationship from
T-Mobile to AT&T in over 7,000 of its locations in the US. For T-Mobile HotSpot customers feelin' a bit like day old espresso right about now, fret not, as the coffee giant has assured us all that you folks "will be able to continue to access WiFi services at no additional cost through an agreement between AT&T and T-Mobile." Starting "sometime this Spring," Starbucks card holders will be treated to two hours of free WiFi access per day, while more than 12 million "qualifying AT&T broadband and U-verse internet customers will have unlimited free access." For whatever it's worth, the press release also notes that the carrier will "soon extend the benefits of WiFi at Starbucks to its wireless customers," but it (sadly) fails to elaborate. For those of you out there without any ties to AT&T, expect to pony up $3.99 for a two hour session or $19.99 for monthly access.
[Via
mocoNews]
Read - Starbucks to expand technology relationship with AT&T
Read - More than 12 million AT&T, Starbucks customers to get free WiFi access
posted Feb 11th 2008 12:11PM
and this is precisely why I don't hang out at Starbucks. C'mon you cheap bastards, everyone else around here offers it for free.
Why does a dog lick its balls?
I know!!!!
It's absolutely ridiculous that you have to pay for wifi at Starbucks! I mean in my little town every single coffee shop offers free wifi. If the little guy can do it, why not them?
Yea! Free wifi for iPhones!
Like no one saw this coming. Pretty soon they will be connected to an IKEA and a VW car lot as well as an Apple store. You will be able to buy coffee while your bug is getting it's oil changed. Hop on over to the apple service desk and have them look at your iPhone then over to IKEA to buy that new trendy desk that your iMac would look great on.
Exactly. What ever is as trendy, or on par with the trendiness, of themselves.
Sorry, forgot the punchline- "Because it can."
Which is exactly the same reason StarBUCKS charges for Wifi-
Why does this have anything to do with Apple? iPhones can use WiFi from any provider, like my Linksys router at home which I'm pretty sure is not made by AT&T. They can also use Starbucks' current WiFi provided by T-Mobile. I don't get the connection you're making.
Sorry,
That reply was for the comment above....
I am surprised Apple and AT&T do not offer its iPhone and MacBook Air customers a deep discount on WiFi Services. I am an owner of both and would easily signup - as long as it is under 10 dollars. If Apple does not leverage what they already have, they are really making a bad choice, Especially since they do not have a 3G modem in the Air's or iPhones.
Dude, you will very shortly get free Starbucks WiFi for your iPhone.
Really Starbucks... charging for wifi? It's so 1999.
No love for Cingular/at&t users :(
Cingular seems to have a thing against wifi, so probably not.
However, I have both T-Mo & ATT access so the change isn't a big deal for me, but I do think it will open the door to many more folks.
ATT charges $3 per month for wifi while T-Mo is $20. Hard to argue that.
Nice, looks like I'll be getting a $1 starbucks gift card. My apartment is sandwiched between two starbucks. I can walk out the door and go in either direction for 100 yards and I'll be at a Starbucks.
If you were in Siberia, you could probably say the same thing... ;-)
If you were in Siberia, you could probably say the same thing... ;-)
In Soviet Russia, double-posting means the gulag for you!
Not that many places offer WiFi for free. Besides $20 is better than the $30 TMobile wanted, right?
WHat was the 2 free hours per day thing?
Also notice that cheap hotels offer Free wifi and nice ones want you to pay. Also I think it sucks a bit because now people a divided between Borders and Starbucks.
If you are going to Borders, buy a book and leave.
If you are going to Starbucks, buy a coffee and leave.
No wonder these two places are so expensive. Their overhead for leechers is ridiculous.
By Starbucks card do you mean the Starbucks gift card, Starbucks credit card or both?
I was wondering the same thing. Starbucks doesn't offer credit cards, do they? At least I have never been badgered by an offer at a Starbucks.
Yes they do offer credit cards by way of Chase bank.
Message to Starbucks:
I spend roughly $200/ month on coffee, hot chocolate and beans. I DO NOT shop with you because you charge for wifi while Caribou and Dunn Bros offer it for free.
I vote with my dollars.
Thanks Dunn Bros and Caribou!
Oh yeah, drop the stupid names for your drink sizes too...just call it a friggin medium or 16 oz for Pete's sake...
You spend ~$7 a day on coffee? When do you sleep?
Haha. Actually it's pretty typical that I buy a small coffee each day, a hot choc about every other day with my girl friend, and I buy the beans for work.
Plus Pete's has a vegan cookie almost every day. Starbucks seems to go out of their way to use milk, eggs & now various kinds of meats.
Yeah, those damn milk-using bastards! And on top of it, they're using meat in some of their products now?! Ridiculous!
Is Wimax going to be open access or is it going to be a subscription service?
You're joking...
oops stupid auto password wrote that last comment
Happy happy joy joy. I'd been avoiding Starbucks because I could go into a Corner Bakery and get free wifi. Now I can go into a Starbucks, which is closer, and surf for (relativly) free.
Considering the ubiquity of Starbucks, this is practically a 4G network for iPhones.
Most non-chain places offer wifi for free, and newsflash! The coffee is far superior to that crap starbucks throws at you. Seriously, if I wanted to drink brewed charcoal, I'd go to a BBQ place and ask them to throw some water over their coals. I would bet you if you google "free wifi + (name of your city)" you will find a long list of places you can go.
In Starbucks defense, however, you can go in there, pay for the wifi, and not get anything to drink, whereas most independent places don't really enjoy when you don't buy anything and mooch their nets. But isnt the point of going there to get caffeinated? So once again, pointless deal.
I agree whole-heartedly about the quality of the coffee, but consider that many people (especially in cities) live within WiFi distance of a Starbucks, and so can get free wifi in their homes if an AT&T customer. And businesspeople (or tourists) can EASILY find a Starbucks if they want to browse a website real quick and don't have time to search for an open network.
I live in a area where new stores are coming in all the time. The funny thing is we got a Panera Bread first who offers free wifi from the get go. Not long after that Starbucks moved in practically next door. Panera Bread is usually packed to the hilt with notebook users.. I visited Starbucks once and there was only one notebook and maybe 2 other people at that time. Our local Starbucks is losing buisness to the Panera Bread customers who are getting free wifi. Oh by the way, Panera Bread's coffee tastes so much better too!
Mmm... Panera
Wow, Tmo was looking good with all its htospots, and really sperated them in terms of this. Now, with ATT on Starbucks back AND Barnes and Noble, dosnt look good for Tmos wifi - except for aitports? Wow.
With Tmos aquisition of suncomm, maybe they are REALLY trying to go retro! GSM/EDGE all the way baby.. woo. Time to upgrade.
Now if only Starbucks could get some of that "post shop hours on the web site" technology...
Just had to add myself to the list of people wondering what the big deal is here. Spending $20/month on wifi only available while at Starbucks is crazy!
Hey, at least it's cheaper.
Friggin T-Mobile charged $6/hr and $10 for a full day. $3 for 2 hours is comparable to McDonnalds, but they don't let you plug your laptop in. In fact I usually try to find a Starbucks next door to McD's just so I can get a better WiFi bargain and stay charged.
How does that relate to
"AT&T expands a previous free offer to premium DSL subscribers to almost all DSL subscribers: That’s right: 10m AT&T DSL subscribers now qualify for free Wi-Fi at the 9,000 McDonald’s and 1,000 other locations in AT&T’s network (operated or resold by Wayport). Anyone with 1.5 Mbps DSL or greater, which is pretty much all of its subscribers, can sign up for free Wi-Fi at the AT&T Web site."
Do all DSL subscribers get this too?
No, it should have read "and". Seriously, I'll take both.
These is a good step if you are a Uverse subscriber but sucks for everyone else. Wifi should be free and Starbucks needs to figure this out. Store traffic is at an all time low and free wifi would bring traffic into the store.
Sweet, now I can eat at mickyD's become an obese lardass surf the web for free then drive my huge SUV earth killer over to ma,pa,cafekillerusa and get jacked up on over priced caffeine and then surf some more for free..
Ahhh, corporate scum, suck the people dry of their green, sarcasm...
I guess this is the reason att jacked up the internet fee's by 5 dollars.
Nice!! I wonder if my iPhone will get the free access automatically? Probably not.
Any details for how we'll get our free two hours each day? MAC address tracking or what?
Heres what i heard about the whole deal when i was working at starbucks today...
1. It should be rolling out in spring
2. All US starbucks employees get unlimited access at any starbucks
3. Anyone with a registered starbucks card gets 2 free hours a day.
Dammit.
I love to hang out at Starbucks, now what will I do when I want to browse the internet while smelling delicious coffee?
God, I hate AT&T!! And yet they claim to be "open".
You'd think charging 5 bucks for a cup of coffee would net them at least 29.99 a month for a broadband connection.
If they make it cheap or free for wireless customers, I'd be sold.