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Apple and Starbucks iTunes WiFi integration hands-on

engadget.com — Engadget got a chance to sit down with Apple and Starbucks folks at a participating location in downtown San Francisco, here's what they learned:

Who dugg this? Made popular Nov 8, 2007

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36 Comments

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  • Scopitone, on 11/08/2007, -1/+20Cute. Can we get some free internet in Starbucks yet? Maybe a code given out on receipts for half an hour of internet usage?
  • stevekeller, on 11/08/2007, -0/+7Engadget took their hacked iPhone to a meeting with Apple. Thats funny...
  • JD52, on 11/08/2007, -14/+19The first time in history that two world leading purveyors of pretentious ***** join forces. This surely is the signal of the coming Apocalypse.
  • MacParrot, on 11/08/2007, -0/+4Because you post this same link in EVERY post trying to get people to watch your really pathetic video, I think it's just time to add you to the block list.
  • sucks, on 11/08/2007, -2/+5starbucks isnt about the coffee anymore
    theyre building a worldwide wifi network
  • FunkyGuy, on 11/08/2007, -0/+3iPhone+T-Mobile hot spot?... iPhone...T-Mobile...what!?!
  • luchid, on 11/08/2007, -0/+3That's why I love the Fon project. www.fon.com
    It's even backed by Google.
  • pfromg, on 11/28/2007, -1/+3This vision I have of people sitting in a cafes looking at iphones(devices) is quite disturbing.
    No talking, no eye contact , no communication, just device interaction.
    Quite a paradox.

  • fascfoo, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2Is it any different than sitting at a cafe with a newspaper or book? Sometimes I'm at a cafe with friends talking, but sometimes I'm there alone to while away some time.
  • RoamShell, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2Less moonspeak more english
  • neodorian, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1I used to help run a cafe. Our WiFi was free. Our coffee was good and never over-roasted. There are other places besides Starbucks out there and they are pretty common. It's just that brand recognition goes a long way.
  • pfromg, on 11/28/2007, -0/+1How is this particular type of customer sharing meant to work outside of the USA ?
    I live in Germany , travel a lot (around Europe) and have never seen a Starbucks apart from in movies where they place Starbucks cups in the someones hand.
    They are launching the iphone any day now , so id be interested in knowing how this wonderful(irony) feature is meant to work.
  • newbill123, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1Think Different = Envision Different
    This was Apple's marketing campaign when Jobs returned and it was equally trying to convince both Windows users and it's own traditional Mac OS 9 customers to swallow the major move to Next based technologies being integrated and readied for development. Safari wasn't even a gleam in Dave Hyatt's eye back then.
  • genericface, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1Bitching about Starbucks coffee prices became lame in 1998. There are a lot of coffee shops, just go somewhere else.
  • allenb, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1You don't see Starbucks in Europe? I take it you don't travel to the UK, then...
  • pfromg, on 11/28/2007, -0/+1Reading an email is not like reading a book.

    If you have ever read a book , you will know the difference.
  • DelMonte, on 11/08/2007, -1/+2Well if you are watching an american movie with a Starbucks in it, a new icon will pop-up on your German iPhone and you'll be able to get a list of the tunes playing in the Starbucks in that movie!
  • jamshid, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1"I can download Starbucks music on my iPhone while ordering a latte and talking on a conference call? Wow, I've hit the douchebag trifecta!"
    http://www.theonion.com/content/amvo/starbucks_mus ...
  • luchid, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1Have you read the article? It answers that like 3 times...
  • terrrrrible, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1Noticed that too, pretty funny.
  • radjrown, on 11/08/2007, -0/+0Wonder how long it will take before this will be available outside of the US, if they act as a true media company, wouldn't expect anything for at least a year...
  • jiansbond, on 11/09/2007, -0/+0Can someone tell me why anyone would wait for the extraneous time needed in Starbucks to download songs.

    Personally, I go into Starbucks, get my black coffee and try to get out as fast as I can. Don't think I would linger around to either download or even listen to music. Plus the stores are usually so small and packed in NYC, one can almost never find a seat.
  • warragul, on 11/08/2007, -0/+0By the looks of the numbers for the music Apple (and others) are shifting they aren't missing you.
    Personally, I refuse to read posts that are badly written (not yours, of course) and where does that get me? Nowhere.
  • RoamShell, on 11/08/2007, -1/+1Was starbucks _ever_ about coffee?
  • bobbytuck, on 11/08/2007, -1/+1I don't get this. I go into a Starbucks and *pay* for music? WTF?

    How about this: I go into a Starbucks with my iPod touch and get FREE wifi. Who cares about paying 99 cents for a track? I got enough music. I don't need crappy "KT Turnstall" or whatever else Starbucks says is what I need to buy.

    They're already getting $2.04 for a cup of coffee. The least they could do -- if they obligated to *do* anything -- is give me fifteen minutes of free wi-fi for that f$*ing expensive coffee.

    This whole Starbucks/Apple things reminds me of the early internet craziness. The whole Webvan/Kozmo frenzy for integration. When is this ***** techno-cultural integration gonna stop? I mean, Starbucks sells coffee. Apple sells hardware. We don't need to merge so that our lives have a useless -- and I mean this sincerely -- a useless level of integration that leads only to *more* complexity. ("What, my iPod can't get the wifi here? Can someone help me? Can you help me?" "Um, I don't know anything about iPods." "Can you help me?" "I'm a barista. I don't own an iPod.")

    For chrissake. Just set up a Linksys router in the back of the Starbucks with a f$*$*ing Comcast broadband link and *give* away the f$(#(#)#)ing WiFi!!!
  • joped, on 11/08/2007, -0/+0Starbucks sucks, I still don't understand why people enjoy purchasing low quality overpriced coffee from snotty teens with serious attitude issues.
  • jesterkap2, on 11/08/2007, -0/+0Starbucks music sucks.
  • Firehed, on 11/08/2007, -2/+1As cool as the underlying technology to make this work is, it's still not going to get me paying for DRMed music. If everything that played in Starbucks was on iTunes Plus I might consider, but I shouldn't have to think about that kind of thing (yes, I know how obvious it is - doesn't stop me wanting a "don't bother showing it if it's not iTunes Plus" option).

    If they'd partnered up and gave free WiFi access to all iPhone/Touch/Mac users - even just-above-EDGE-low-speed, this might be worth something, but I'd rather not have my overpriced coffee purchase turn into an overpriced coffee purchase shortly followed by an overpriced music purchase.
  • pfromg, on 11/28/2007, -2/+1" Think Different "
    Shouldn't that be "Think Differently" or are they suggesting that apple is different so "Think , different"
    Either way , its not working , cos they are not different and safari really does suck. (and i am a mac user)
    Perhaps "Think inside The Box" would be more appropriate these days.
  • theradical, on 11/08/2007, -3/+2You know, that dude from Moby-Dick.
  • 51toking, on 11/08/2007, -3/+1http://www.digg.com
  • Shelbo2000, on 11/08/2007, -3/+1"Sucks" gave me an idea. Why is WiFi taking so long to become a public network? I have a house in phoenix, and my laptop picks up 4 different home networks not even counting mine. I'm no were near a store or anything. I say t-Mobile and whoever else charges for WiFi should form a Co-op and charge like 15 bucks a month to walk into anywhere and use the WiFi. Starbucks, grocery stores, cheap hotels, circle k, all of them. It can be one fee. You could do the same thing in apartment complexes, condo developments. It makes sense to me. Hell, the city could put it in parks and just add a dollar onto your water bill. I wouldn't bitch.
  • woodsk7, on 11/08/2007, -3/+0Can the iPhone use the WiFi at Starbucks for free or you only see the songs?

    iPhone Radio: http://www.iradioapp.com (Please DIGG!)
  • 51toking, on 11/08/2007, -6/+0测试一下 http://www.51.com
  • Randomsauce, on 11/08/2007, -10/+4WE NEED PODCASTS!

    then eventually video podcasts.

    DIGGNATION FTW!!!
  • theradical, on 11/08/2007, -8/+1i will use it just as soon as someone comes out with an app that takes the info from itunes and then downloads the .torrent file for me.

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