Do you think Steve Jobs might have gotten sick, even in part, because of the intense frustration he feels from having launched one of the greatest product lines in human history, just to fumble the ball on the one yard line by choosing AT&T, the worst wireless service in the US, as his iPhone carrier?
Rumor has it a Verizon iPhone is coming. I wanna cry.
Similarly, Howard Schulz must also feel kind of uncomfortable. I am a dyed-in-the-wool Starbucks customer, but my favorite coffee is served with the worst food selection in America. The baked goods at Starbucks are what my friend and I call "Prison Cake", because we imagine this is what comes on your tray in prison at meal time. The baked goods at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are reminiscent of Balthazar by comparison.
What were they thinking?
Discuss.
"You should always be selling—not strategizing about selling. Don’t test, test, test—that’s a game for big companies. Don’t worry about being embarrassed. Don’t wait to develop the perfect product or service. Good enough is good enough. There will be plenty of time for refinement later. It’s not how great you start—it’s how great you end up."
Perhaps a little "Can you hear me now" testing ala, Verizon, would have been prudent! But they will likely continue to dominate.
On the Starbucks issue, what idiot thinks paying for internet connections in a coffee shop is a good idea? How many people do they need to watch emigrate to Panera for free WiFi, not to mention tasty treats?
On the bright side, I now have rollover minutes!
Verizon NEEDS this iphone, mostly because AT&T needs to lose some customers. If Verizon does indeed carry the iphone in the future, I'll gladly switch.
Either Apple needs to open up, at&t needs to improve their network or another phone needs to trump the iPhone. Nice try droid, but I'm still waiting to be wowed.
http://www.theage.com.au/small-business/entrepreneur/our-coffee-boys-full-of-beans-in-brew-york-20100412-s1jq.html
I LOVE Starbucks coffee but their baked goods are so-so...although the Iced Lemon Pound cake is pretty good. The scones are a joke. I have yet to see a scone in America that really IS a scone. They are about 3 times too big, hard and tasteless. (WHY is American food so much bigger than in Europe? No wonder Americans are so fat!)
BTW, I recently watched "Glengarry Glen Ross" again. That opening scene is amazing. A pity it's not in the play - it's a brilliant scene for actors.
We need to be greatful we have access to any food at all
it could get worse. Count your American blessings from above.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/technology/07cell.html?WT.mc_id=TE-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-TCP-040610-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click
as for starbucks, their coffee is nothing but bitter, black swill... though i realize some people like their coffee like that. but who in tarnation would go there for their highly overpriced "prison cakes"?
my favorite coffee hub is called Caribou. they're not as ubiquitous as Starbucks but their coffee is so much more palatable than starbucks' rotgut. food is still overpriced though.
anyway that's my two cents in a bucket.