Some coffee shops ban computers (including e-readers)
When I first saw the tweet that laptop computers and other digital devices (including the Amazon Kindle, and I’m assuming the B&N Nook) are banned from some coffee shops, I had to read the tweet twice. Then I read this NYT blog post in which the author described his experience at one coffee shop:
After placing my order I sat down at a table and pulled out my Amazon Kindle.
I barely made it a sentence into the e-book I was reading before an employee of the coffee shop came by, stood over me and said, “Excuse me sir, but we don’t allow computers in the coffee shop.”
I looked up at him with an incredulous look and replied, “This isn’t a computer, it’s an e-book reader.”
Surprisingly, the employee makes this argument:
He then told me that the “device” in my hand had a screen and required batteries, so it was obviously “some variation of a computer.” The coffee shop, I was told, did not allow the use of computers.
The basic argument these coffee shops make is that people buy a latte, then sit at a large table with their entire “office” spread out and sit there for 5 hours doing work.
1 comment - Latest by: Gary Bedard : It sounds to me like this particular coffee shop needs to be educated in the principles of marketing. Every business ... More

The Legitimate Pirate, Aug 28, 2010 re: J.K. Rowling still fighting ebook piracy, and ebooks are still being demonized