Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Starbucks Bringing Wireless Device Charging to Its Stores

    By
    Todd R. Weiss
    -
    June 16, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      coffee

      Starbucks has signed on with Duracell Powermat to install wireless charging equipment for mobile phones, tablets and other devices in its coffee shops over the next year, but one shortcoming of the effort is that the systems won’t work with all of the devices being used by consumers today.

      The wireless charging initiative was unveiled by the two companies on June 12, with initial installations being made in San Francisco Bay Area Starbucks locations, according to a statement. “The companies will expand Powermat to additional major markets in 2015, with a full national rollout in Starbucks company-operated stores and Teavana Fine Teas + Tea Bars planned over time,” the statement continues. “Initial pilots in Europe and Asia are expected within the year.”

      The move is being made to better serve customers by giving them the ability to charge their mobile devices while they are spending time inside the company’s shops. The Powermats, which are flat devices that allow users to place their compatible mobile devices on top of them for wireless charging, will be installed as integrated “Powermat Spots” on tables and counters inside the Starbucks locations, according to the companies. So far, select Starbucks stores in Boston and San Jose already offer Powermat services for early users. The broader rollout of the systems can be tracked so consumers can learn if there are new locations near them.

      The Powermat Spots meet the open standards maintained by the Power Matters Alliance (PMA), which is one of several groups that have been working to develop and support competing wireless device charging standards worldwide. Two other key wireless charging groups are the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP, which is developing a standard called Rezence) and the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC, which is developing the Qi standard—pronounced “chee”). Each group’s systems are different and are not compatible, according to an earlier eWEEK report. The wireless vendors that support the Powermats’ PMA standards include AT&T, BlackBerry, HTC, Huawei, LG, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Samsung, TI and ZTE, which means that compatible devices built by these companies will be able to use the equipment in the Starbucks stores.

      “From WiFi and the in-store Starbucks Digital Network to mobile payment and digital music downloads, we have always tried to anticipate our customers’ needs early in the adoption curve and provide a world-class solution,” Adam Brotman, chief digital officer at Starbucks, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to offer our customers that next level of convenience with Powermat wireless charging. Rather than hunting around for an available power outlet, they can seamlessly charge their device while enjoying their favorite food or beverage offering right in our stores.”

      This is not the first technology upgrade that’s been adopted by Starbucks for its customers. In August 2013, the company partnered with Google, which announced plans to install free WiFi inside some 7,000 company-owned Starbucks stores to replace free services that had been previously provided by AT&T. Starbucks stores located in communities that have super-high-speed Google Fiber service have been getting in-store WiFi connections that are even faster—up to 100 times that of existing speeds, according to an earlier eWEEK report.

      Starbucks did not reply to an eWEEK request for additional comment about its Powermat initiative.

      Starbucks Bringing Wireless Device Charging to Its Stores

      Two IT analysts, however, said the move is an intriguing one for both companies.

      “I think that in a way you could qualify this as a bold yet last-ditch effort by Duracell and some if its partners, including Starbucks, to get their wireless charging standard out there in the marketplace and to try to take on the Qi standard that at this point dominates the market,” said Charles King, the principal analyst for Pund-IT. “Duracell has a few partners, but it hasn’t had the widespread success they hoped for.” One reason for that, he said, is that the Qi standard has been heavily adopted by many Android device makers and “that’s really the standard that has taken the market by storm.”

      The move by Starbucks to install Powermats means that consumers who want to use the coming wireless charging services will either have to have compatible devices or will have to buy new devices or add-on adapters that will let them take advantage of the Powermats.

      “The problem that I see with this is that the Duracell model has so little market penetration at this point that asking consumers to buy an adapter device … to my mind washes out a good deal of the convenience factor,” said King. “If I have to buy a charging ring to charge my phone at Starbucks, then why not just buy a portable charging pack that I can carry with me and get a full charge off it when needed?”

      King said the phased-in rollout being planned by Starbucks could give clues to the eventual success or failure of the effort, since it is slated to begin in hotspot-crazed cities such as San Francisco. “If this doesn’t take off the way the companies hope it will, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the effort gets retired in 12 to 18 months” if success in San Francisco or New York is fleeting.

      “This almost qualifies as a stop-gap solution, like a marketing ploy masquerading as a solution,” said King.

      Dan Maycock, an analyst with OneAccord Digital, said that while he applauds Starbucks for taking the step of adding wireless charging capabilities in its stores, the feature won’t be widely used by customers until they have the right equipment to take advantage of it, which is a key drawback.

      “For regulars in these stores, it makes sense that people might buy the [adapters] to make their devices compatible for now,” said Maycock. “For them it will be a useful thing. I can see them buying a [device-compatible] case and using that” on the Powermats. Of course, those customers will still have to hope that they can sit at one of the tables in the stores that have the Powermats installed. “But for passers-by who may or may not have compatible devices, I don’t know if they will even know what it is. Over time it will be more ubiquitous.”

      Todd R. Weiss
      As a technology journalist covering enterprise IT for more than 15 years, I joined eWEEK.com in September 2014 as the site's senior writer covering all things mobile. I write about smartphones, tablets, laptops, assorted mobile gadgets and services,mobile carriers and much more. I formerly was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008 and previously wrote for daily newspapers in eastern Pennsylvania. I'm an avid traveler, motorcyclist, technology lover, cook, reader, tinkerer and mechanic. I drove a yellow taxicab in college and collect toy taxis and taxi business cards from around the world.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×