News

Hamburger grease on your PC keyboard: in San Francisco

It is apparently the case that people do, after all, go into macdonalds for a quick bite to eat, and while there, want to use their PC to get online. The restaurant chain has followed up its Japanese experiment by launching WiFi hotspots into America.

When the first experiment was announced, it seemed far-fetched. The popular perception of these fast food outlets is of hurried queues of people rushing off with bags of greasy food into the streets - not of notebook-equipped techies, sitting down, relaxing and browsing the Web.

But it seems that the experiment - if 4,000 Japanese installations of wireless LAN gear are just an experiment - must have proved itself; because in San Francisco, 75 restaurants under the Golden Arches are to follow suit, and entice tourists in with the offer of emailing home.

It's not that McDonald's Restaurants - corporately - seems excited about the news. Its web site features no announcement about this; the most recent release is of "the expansion of a successful program designed to encourage families to incorporate physical fitness into their daily lives, one step at a time."

According to Datamonitor, however, the move may democratize a hot spot movement that has largely been confined to more 'business oriented' environments." The report adds: "While still hoping to attract the traditional business user, McDonald's hopes its WiFi service will appeal to a broader section of the population."

This is a genuine experiment. "McDonald's is partnering with WiFi provider Wayport on the six month trial," says Datamonitor. It will operate "across a region that is, arguably, the centre of the US technology industry."

Sensibly, the restaurants are charging - $4.50 per hour - for connection. Sensibly, because free access is normally only the strategy of places which want extra customers, usually, in off-peak periods.

People do sit down in McDonalds restaurants, but the image most of us have, is of crowds of noisy children, not adults having business discussions. If their strategy is to increase the number of adults sitting down, then there's a good chance that the price will drop. But if the strategy is to make money, there's an even better chance that the experiment will be dropped.

One thing is sure; if it does go free, all the neighbouring businesses will be very pleased ...