“Within two weeks, Apple stores will begin retiring their current Windows CE-based portable computers and start using a custom-designed and crafted iPod touch to check out customers,” ifoAppleStore’s Gary Allen reports for AppleInsider.
“Those who have seen the system for processing credit card, debit card and cash purchases, dubbed “EasyPay touch,” said it combines iPod touch features with a magnetic stripe reader, advanced barcode scanner and Apple-written software to speed plastic and cash transactions,” Allen reports.
“Perhaps more significantly, the change to an iPod touch and Apple software will bring the entire point-of-sale (POS) system under Apple’s control. In addition, the system will have the added benefit of advertising the usefulness of the iPod touch to customers who see it being used right in front of them,” Allen reports.
“Employees at the two just-opened Microsoft retail stores also use a portable POS computer made by Samsung, with an attached card reader and a separate barcode scanner. The Microsoft solution is about four times larger than an iPod touch and weighs five times as much,” Allen reports.
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft has a lot of bloated POS hardware and software in use in their Apple Store knockoffs. And, in Microsoft’s case, POS certainly doesn’t stand for “point of sale.”
More info and photos in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn W.” for the heads up.]
“Microsoft retail stores also use a portable POS computer made by Samsung,…”
A POS indeed.
Lively discussion over at appleinsider. Non-US people notice the lack of a chip reader. Many stores throughout EU no longer accept swipes if a card has a chip. For those, the device won’t work.
I’m sure Apple (and its hardware partner) has a chip reader in the pipeline, as soon as issues are worked out of this one, and software version is past 1.1 or so.
This will finally allow to completely cleanse their retail operations of MS products.
Add this with the Mac Mini server and you got a big hit for the small business.
Now for Apple to perfect the hardware and software and make it available for sale to other non-Apple retailers.
@ Tommy Boy
You bet they will as soon as they get it right. Ala Keynote.
Thank god. Their existing checkout hardware is lame
You mean “Microsoft’s Apple Stores”.
I can’t think of a faux pax better than “WinCE”.
Seriously? Who’s the ‘tard responsible for “wince”.
I suppose the 1st suggestion, SucKS, was too much?
U call that better looking? Fat and ugly. That rubber is good for a door stopper lol
@Moo
“faux pax” = fake peace?
I think you mean “faux pas”
“Microsoft’s Apple Stores: BRILLIANT… and, OH, so true!
I hope it has better battery life than a “real iPod touch!
@Horetia: have you seen the crappy WinCE POS units that are used in the Apple Store now? Ugly AND garbage!
Another stupid move by MAC. Why give up the speed, stability, security and legendary ease of use of the Windows CE devices? It’s the one thing they had right at those Microsoft wannabe stores. Whatever.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Windows CE-based portable computers.
Will it blend?
But what about payment with the credit cards using the EMV international protocol (IC Cards or “chips card”) in Apple Stores outside USA using that special iPod touch?
Indeed employees in those Apple Stores newly implemented outside USA (in Canada,, some countries in Europe, ) cannot use this special iPod Touch because of his antic magnetic payment procedure. Apple should be compliant with the EMV new international procedures of credit cards autorisation if that iPod Touch is introduced in the Apples Stores of thoses countries.
Wow! An ultra-thick iPod touch, with a removable battery, a stylus, and mini-USB port. A WinMo user would feel right at home…
Where can I buy that sled Apple? I’ll take one for my iPhone please.
The Microsoft solution is about four times larger than an iPod touch and weighs five times as much,” Allen reports.
It applies in all other areas (Ballmer vs Jobs, Windows7 vs Snow Leopard, big ass table vs iPod touch).
Pram:
Read second post in the thread.
Windows CE ( Crappy Edition )
Dear EU tards:
Quit your griping. Are you seriously under the impression that Apple is unaware that they’ll need to have a solution for the Euro-chip? I kind of think the folks at Apple know what they’re doing.
Europe is not the center of the universe. Get over it!
And enjoy your shariah law under your muslim overlords.
@EU tards,
Europe may not be the center of the Universe, but it is increasingly becoming the center of Apple’s profits. 46% of Apple’s TOTAL profits come from Europe, and trending upward.
Your “muslim overlord” quip shows pretty clearly just how much of an idiot you really are. Shame on you.
I live in Europe. My cards have chips. Stores that have chip reader terminals use the chip. Stores that don’t have chip reader terminals have older-style stripe swipers. Never had a problem using the cards in the US or SE Asia either.
As I said, most stores in EU (specifically, UK, NL etc) will NOT accept a swipe if a card has a chip. Therefore, if you have an card issued by an EU bank, it will have a chip. If you shop in an EU store, it will have a chip reader. Consequently, in order to accept cards with chips, an EU store will need to have a chip-based mobile POS solution. I’m not sure if they even still allow swiper-only based POS in those countries anymore (they do need to have a swiper, though, for US cards without the chip).
As I also said, I have no doubt that Apple will be working on such a solution for their own EU-based stores.
@Daner
I agree with you. But the magnetic strip part of your card works only outside the country of your bank. for exemple if you have a british ou french bank card you can (and must…) swipe the magnetic strip in USA because you have no choice. If coming from UK or France with a EMV/chip card, you buy in Canada, where chip AND stripe procedures cohabit now in a transitional period, you must only use the pin and chip procedure of your card instead of the signature and stripe procedure.
@Predrag
I admit that Apple will make in the future a new version of this special iPod Touch. But because in the US they persist to keep their old habit of “hand signature and stripe” bank cards (because they don’t want to invest to much in infrastructures, because a lack of unique payment agency, because atavism of old habits, etc), Apple must adapt an iPod Touch to be used for the 90% of the Apple Stores in the world that are built in this country. All that because the credit card technology in US is a much more older world. The only song there about credit card is “hand signature and magnetic stripe” procedure. And because of that antic analog procedure, US is the paradise of credit card fraud and smuggling.
So this special payment iPod Touch Is an inevitable and backyard short term investment. But its also a symptomatic and paradoxical decision of Apple that they had to invest in a very old (analog) technology.
With analogy (no pun…) to the iPhone, Apple make the good choice to built their iPhones in the GSM cellular standard (AT&T;) and not in the old analogic CDMA (Sprint, Verizon) technology, because they had then the choice between GSM and CDMA. Apple make that choice because they think that iPhone have an international future. And they was right. But with this special “hand signature” iPod Touch, they didn’t show for now the same signal about the Apple Stores future. But its not their fault. We know now why US banks are a decrepit industry
But I suppose that the Apple Stores in UK , Germany and France (in next days…) are already using non-Apple “payment pods” with chip and PIN (EMV) procedures. So I would be curious to know what are the brand(s) they are using in the non-US Apple Stores…