It is being widely reported that many coffee shops across the country are banning iPads and laptops and are also disabling their WiFi service in order to encourage customers to read news papers and books. A popular coffee shop in San Francisco was the latest one to no longer offer Wi-Fi for its customers and has also go ahead to ask them to stop using their iPads and other tablet pcs in the store.
Owner Jeremy Tooker claims that since dropping the connection and banning the iPads and tablet pcs his business has boomed. In an interview to the LA Times he said that the shop goes through about 700lbs of coffee a week, which is a lot! He also said that coffee shops were a place to relax and read a book and not updating your facebook or checking the news.
Tooker said, “anyone with a laptop or an iPad in the store will not be asked to leave however we will not cater to him”. Other coffee shops are following suit which included Coupa Cafe in Palo Alto banned Wi-Fi on weekends. Similar trends were seen in Manhattan coffee shops which banned e-books. You will be asked to leave if you pulled out your Kindle!
Looks like this will come to great relief to the paper industry which is dying a slow death.
I don’t know, if I would see this soo positive … I usually go to a coffee shop to meet with a client and/or work there. While watching the people or talking to them I get my ispirations I need in my job.
On the other hand, it is very disturbing, if you want to read a book, or just talk to a friend, or even work and every 30 seconds a cellphone is ringing, or a message tone calls. Maybe – if the owners will not overdo this, there will be a coffe shop culture like here in Vienna, which is famous for its coffee shops. ;o)
People come here drink their coffee, and meet others, talk to friends, and often to people they don’t know … it’s great fun – you have to see it, I can’t describe it.
Vienna? pffff, if you want good coffee shops, go to Amsterdamm xD
I like how they are pulling back on the technology. I just don’t think that kindles should be banned because they are books and all you do is use it to read without having to carry a heavy book or 2 to read.
Amsterdam? I know why you prefer those “Coffee Shops…” They don’t actually serve COFFEE.