I still hate their coffee and pretentious attitude about their coffee, but at least for those who like it, Starbucks just became a lot more useful as a spot to get some work done.
According to an AT&T press release this morning, the coffee giant is ditching T-Mobile as it’s WiFi provider and going with AT&T instead. Under this new plan, all customers who have a Starbucks Card will get 2 free hours of Wifi every day:
Under the earlier plan with T-Mobile, Starbucks customers needed a paid subscription to access the in-store Wi-Fi service, and T-Mobile HotSpot subscribers will continue to have access to Starbucks Wi-Fi thanks to an agreement between AT&T and T-Mobile. But the new AT&T plan allows all customers 2 free hours per day, with a $3.99 fee for additional 2-hour chunks of time. Monthly subscriptions will cost $19.99 and will enable access to other AT&T hot-spot locations in addition to Starbucks.
I guess that makes sense, given that Starbucks has been cozy with Apple and it’s provider AT&T. The deal makes a lot more sense if AT&T provides the Internet for Starbucks.
And honestly, my choice of coffee house is greatly dependent on the availability of free Wifi. There is a Peet’s across from my house, but you will never see because they charge for WiFi. I go to the mom-and-pop store a block further down, because they have free internet (and real coffee).
Wow, one of the incentives for buying an OLPC XO laptop through the G1G1 program was a free year’s worth of the already overpriced T-Mobile HotSpot service which *was* available at nearly every Starbucks in America.
Oh well…
I am with you on the free-wifi being a large reason I pick one coffee house over another. In fact, the very day I bought my first wifi card, the lure of free wifi got me to go into a “Boba Loca” and try a boba drink for the first time. That was 5 years ago–I’m now good friends with the owner of that boba place.
In fact, that reminds me, I should head down there and say hello. …And get some work done.
n/m, just read on TUAW that Starbucks will allow T-Mo users to continue connecting to their wifi.
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/02/11/got-atandt-starbucks-delivers-wi-fi/
Sweet. I was sooo looking forward to that kind of freedom.