![Screen shot 2009-09-23 at [ September 23 ] 5.53.41 AM](http://www.mobilecrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-23-at-September-23-5.53.41-AM.png "Screen shot 2009-09-23 at [ September 23 ] 5.53.41 AM")
Now that Starbucks has at least one store on every corner, where are they to go? To the iPhone, of course. In true Starbucks fashion, they’re not rolling out just one app – oh, no! They’ve got two apps. Next thing you know, there will be a Starbucks app within your Starbucks app, fighting tooth and nail to bring in more than the Starbucks app across the street.
The first app, myStarbucks, is essentially an iPhone port of their Store Locator with a few bonus features tucked in. You can search for stores around you, of course – but you can also drill down within these results based off of your criteria, such as whether or not the store is currently open. You can also toss together virtual versions of your favorite drink, calculating the calorie count as you go. (Heads up: your drink? Probably a bit worse for you than you would have guessed.)
![Screen shot 2009-09-23 at [ September 23 ] 6.16.31 AM](http://www.mobilecrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-23-at-September-23-6.16.31-AM-206x300.png "Screen shot 2009-09-23 at [ September 23 ] 6.16.31 AM")
The second, Starbucks Card Mobile, is exactly what it sounds like: a Starbucks Card management app. Want to check your card balance without bugging the barista to slide your card for the 30th time this week? Hop into the application. Want to toss more money onto the card without, you know, having to talk to anyone? Use the app! Sure, all that could be done through the web interface previously – but here’s the killer twist: in select locations, you can pay with your card by having the barista scan an on-screen barcode. Next time carrying around a 1mm thick plastic card is too inconvenient – don’t worry, you’ve got an iPhone.
Testing of the mobile payment system is currently going down in (where else?) Seattle and parts of the Silicon Valley. You can check out both apps here.
If only their coffee was any good. I prefer Peets (www.peets.com) a Bay-area stalwart. They don’t have ANY apps, alas.
Strangely enough, I prefer Starbucks to Peets. My poison of choice is straight up coffee with half & half. I find Peets to have a weird taste to it.
Yup, that taste right there is what coffee actually tastes like. Not the pre-burned Starbucks beans.
Darn, I was hoping for something closer to the chipotle app: create your order on your phone, then send it over to your nearest location. Way to skip the barista line!
That would be great. I’m guessing they’d love to do that, but they’d have to roll it out in some 8 billion locations near simultaneously.
Great, they’ve finally done it. There are now more Starbucks stores on the planet than there are humans.
At least unemployment won’t be a problem anymore.
Or what if you could construct your order on your phone, and have it generate a barcode to scan. No need to tell your order, just scan the screen and all of the details are in!
They’d have to much confusion with: “oh, your order went to Starbucks #332F32493, which is the one across the street. Not the one on the left corner, the one on the right corner.”
But what about a BlackBerry app, Starbucks? The whole world isn’t on the iPhone, you know.
Why don’t they just let you order & pay in the app? Do you know how mych faster that would make the line move?
The ability to order & collect would be wicked! I’m sure that’s in the pipeline, maybe the third iPhone app will provide that functionality..
Care to explain the QR code in your screen shot? My guess is that <10% of your readership knows what this is, and it is significant that a major brand is using this in the US.
@Mike, next up NFC enabled iPhones… See any future in that?
I also think it’s pretty significant that Starbucks is using QR codes. I think there is finally an infrastructure that enables more main stream use of these QR codes. My prediction is we will see much more of these bar codes everywhere in the near future. My 2 cents.
Making douchy people douchier
Disclaimer: I had a cup earlier today, so I’m not anti-Starbucks. Just combining the flavor of the stereotypical Starbucks Customer and the iPhone (download every app) User, it’s not going to be pretty.
The app should grab your location, map it to a system at Starbucks HQ for real time tracking, and after you order your drugs, er coffee, a Starbucks employee should track you down and deliver the product right into your hand. Now that would be some app.
This is nice…but I’m still looking for a way to order via the iPhone…that’ll be the day!
Congrats to the SBUX team. Both apps feel snappy and useful.
Continued success.
I hope there’s one for Coffee Bean, which is my fav coffee place ever.
Great just sign my wife up lol. She lives and breathes Starbucks. Making things too easy.
Starbucks location finder. Funny. Open your eyes.
Hi – This is huge for the QR industry in North America and is exactly what our industry is in need of. A top international brand using the technology in the U.S. will expose the QR to millions. I am a partner in a new QR company called QRe8 (create). We are very happy to see Starbucks jump into the QR game. If you want to chat please check me out on twitter http://twitter.com/erikg1