Starbucks announces free Wi-Fi

you all are pretty much

you all are pretty much wrong!

The "debit card" he's referring too is the "Starbucks [Gift] Card" which is completely free... You register it, for free... You use the access, for free.

Beyond the 2 hours is where being an AT&T u-verse/broadband customer comes in handy.

Quite frankly, the reason your local Starbucks can't offer unlimited wireless, I feel (as they wish they could), is that people would chill there ALL DAY and most Starbucks are pretty high volume compared to your other coffee shops... so people would have a place to sit. In my store, we have a maximum of about 20 people who can sit down inside and about 20 outside... That'd fill up too quickly with everyone internet surfing on the wireless all day! It'd just be a bunch of Starbucks Card, MacBook having people using the free internet getting their free coffee refills all day.

And because we aren't supposed to "throw people out" of our stores, it'd make making room really difficult.

Keep all that in mind. And many popular locally owned coffee shops have also started putting time limits on internet usage. It's just necessary sometimes.

I have a Starbucks Card, a MacBook, and I work at Starbucks - So I can say these things. :-)

come off it

I feel sorry for you people, I really do.

NOT FREE

So it's like $72 for the card and $12 for a small coffee. No Thanks! I'll go to my local coffee shop where they pay me $12 to drink their coffee and use their wifi.

Starbucks Free WiFi for AT&T Apple iPhone users?

How will this Starbucks free WiFi apply to AT&T Apple iPhone users?

And this is why I hang out

And this is why I hang out at Panera Bread. Never had to pay for wireless and hope I never do.

Starbucks Sucks!

Free WiFi

What is apparent from reading the story and the comments is that this is a lousy piece of journalism regarding the Starbucks ,no charge with purchase, WiFi situation. It is a great marketing piece devoid of the necessary facts which form an informational essay.

I guess it all depends on what the definition of is, is; or in this case, free...

On another note, Mike, you normally write excellent essays, everyone is entitled to brain fade on occasion...

If you have to pay $19 a

If you have to pay $19 a month for two free hours a day and then $4 an hour after that, it isn't free at all, unless the $19 gets you some other benefits like a Sam's card.

On the other hand, as I write this using @bellsouth.net as my domain, it really will be "free" for me, since I have AT&T broadband at home as part of my phone bill.

But why would I drive all the way to Starbucks to use "free" Wi-Fi via AT&T when I can use "free" Wi-Fi at home via AT&T?

tell me what is free about

tell me what is free about having to 1) either pay to use the service, or 2) have to pay to be an AT&T customer and then you get unlimited usage...I don't see one free thing about it. And who the hell would want a Starbucks debit card?