Starbucks
If you need a free wireless hookup before that date, you have to go to McDonald's
I'm only wondering what took Starbucks so long. I have long veered to Panera whenever I needed a speedy connection on the go, wondering why Starbucks insists on milking my wallet of every possible penny. And now it's a bit late in the game.
High-speed data connections are seemingly everywhere, to the point where Verizon
And if you need to connect your laptop instead of a 3G-enabled netbook or smartphone, it's easy to get a 3G or 4G mobile hotspot that goes with you everywhere. It's a selling point for some service providers, and Google
Starbucks should have gone free a long time ago, to attract the coffee-shop crowd of students, journalists, and other free-ranging souls going elsewhere to get their work done. But the advantage of free Wi-Fi -- whether at Panera, the Golden Arches or wherever -- has declined. Starbucks' move is too little, too late.
Have you left Starbucks for cheaper pastures, and will you go back when Internet access becomes free? Discuss in the comments below.