No E-Books Allowed in This Establishment

Some coffee shops ban computers — and even e-book readers. But reading devices are not going away.

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August 2, 2010 by Uncategorized 3

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3 Responses

  1. Anonymous says:
    August 3, 2010 at 7:41 pm

    Axtarot
    I dont agree with that, reading, is reading, even in the computer, or a digital ebook reader, i personally love reading specially in my prs 700, but the act and the scence is the same.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    August 4, 2010 at 12:37 am

    Issue isn’t ‘computers’ per se.
    Not mentioned in the article but in several of the comments is the reasoning behind these ‘no computer’ rules. It can be impossible, especially during lunch hours, to find a place to sit in coffee shops that aren’t taken up by people on laptops, often taking up a whole booth for one person and using the cafe as an office. By cutting out computer use, especially during these peak times, they can continue to roll tables so that new customers can sit down.
    eBooks shouldn’t be included in these policies (if they are, then regular books should be) but I can see iPad’s being included.

    Reply
    • Anonymous says:
      August 6, 2010 at 12:20 am

      Yes – the real issue is *selfishness*
      Yes, the problem is selfishness, not computers – one time in a Starbucks, with every single table taken, I even saw a person using a table seating four – and the one for people with disabilities, no less – to simply talk on a cell phone for quite a while, without even ordering any food or drinks. So banning computers not only leads to confusion as to what exactly constitutes a “computer,” it also attacks a symptom rather than the root cause. And while the e-book reader owners who’ve argued that their device is not technically a computer have a point, that distinction will become weaker now that manufacturers are talking about adding WiFi to these devices. I realize there probably isn’t a simple solution, but these shops should try to find a way to simply limit the amount of time a customer can use a table instead of banning particular devices. That would be a fair policy, and would only annoy those who really are the problem.

      Reply

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