For a long, long time, Starbucks forced you to pay for their Internet. If you attempted to go on the Internet with your grande latte, you were re-directed to the Starbucks Tmobile landing page where you had to pay $9.99 for the day. This is pretty annoying since, most likely, you just wanted the Internet for an hour or less while you sipped your coffee.
As neighboring coffee shops started charging nothing for their free wi-fi, Starbucks tried to compete by offering 2 hours of free Internet before charging customers. McDonalds, believe it or not, has been Starbucks’ main competitor lately due to their new McCafe line, offering cappuccinos and iced coffee. McD’s started providing free wi-fi 6 months ago.
To be compete with the other free wi-fi coffee places, Starbucks broke down and will be offering free Internet access starting July 1st. Computer users will receive free, unlimited Internet access through AT&T in all of the US Starbucks stores. This is a smart move to keep its customer base. However, they might think of getting more chairs since Starbucks is usually packed the way it is. It is up to the Starbucks customers to figure out how to get on the Internet since the Starbucks Baristas will not provide computer support.
Please remember if you’re drinking coffee next to your computer in Starbucks or anywhere else, please keep the coffee far away. We have had many data recovery jobs from careless coffee spills. Yes, you never intend to tip your Frappuccino onto your laptop, but this accident happens more times than you would imagine.
