“Just weeks after rolling out a ground-breaking iPod touch point-of-sale system (POS), Apple may be preparing to commercialize the system and generate some revenue from its creation,” ifoAppleStore reports.
“According to insiders, Apple has been deluged with inquiries about the POS system, which is comprised of a sleek, custom-designed and manufactured shell that surrounds the iPod touch, and also incorporates a barcode scanner and magnetic stripe reader. The hardware links to custom-programmed [Mac OS X] software that streamlines the process of taking cash, credit or debit card payments for merchandise,” ifoAppleStore reports.
“Since the debut of the iPod POS , inquires have been coming from all directions, including from end-user small businesses, larger chains and system integrators,” ifoAppleStore reports. “Now, tipsters say, Apple retail executives have asked the retail store business specialists to collect contact information from anyone who inquires about the iPod touch system, apparently to create a database of potential customers if Apple decides to commercialize the product.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
Wow, yet again . . .
I haven’t seen one in the wild yet, but I was amused that I bought two iPhones from someone tapping on a monochrome WinCE device. If they make it easy, I could see retailers getting interested in using themselves.
Microsoft offers a POS device, not “point of sale” … but the other POS. (Ok, too easy.)
this would totally rock…. very useful for people in retail stores to use when helping customers with small item purchases instead of finding a register.
Apple’s going to take that market by storm. Especially if it’s integrated with a cash register and back-end that are easy to use/maintain. This is HUGE.
When I bought my iMac on Black Friday I paid by CC using one of the new devices. Much faster. I worked in an Apple Store 3 years ago and the WindowsCE machines were a nightmare. As a customer it took three times as long for an employee to ring up your sale. I could tell the employees were thrilled to be rid of the old devices and finally using the iPod touch. If Apple markets the new point of sales devices, they will make a killing.
Apple currently uses that device at the Pentagon City Mall Apple Store. Very slick. Small footprint compared to the system they previously used.
Where is Claris? You need a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple to commercialize this.
Do you have to sign and if so where?
I don’t know about HUGE, but it sounds like a nice little piece of business for Apple. It will be a challenge to get retailers to change POS systems (it’s a big expenditure, not only in hardware software costs, but also integration to existing information systems), but once thye change, they are not likely to change again in the near future.
I think there is a big market for this. Having sold hand held WinCE-based devices, I can say the biggest nightmare is – supporting WinCE devices. You pretty much lose all your profits supporting the WinCE garbage. So, this little device is just what the enterprise needs. It will put a serious dent not only in retail, but in warehouse and inventory management if Apple allows it. Symbol, Honeywell (HHP), Datalogic, etc. will be in for a world of hurt if this comes to be.
Do you have to sign and if so where?
Yes. iPod touch has a large touch screen, and Apple has designed a special stylus that will work with the capacitive screen of iPhone/iPod, so the customer can use the stylus to sign, if signature is required by the store/merchant processor or anyone else.
Another company has announced similar point-of-sale hardware/software/backend solution (http://squareup.com/). It is clear that the platform is ripe for the proliferation of POS offerings. I have no doubt, each and every one of them will be far superior to what WinMob/WinCE is offering today, in every way.
@Tiger
“Where is Claris?”
Claris became Filemaker, Inc. a few years back. They remain a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple.
Apple would be foolish to keep this little gem to itself. If released to the wider market you’d see it proliferate very quickly into the retail, restaurants, car rental ecosystems very quickly. And Tiger is right. Apple needs a dedicated group to handle this business with proper sales and support staffing.
This device is the sharp point of the spear. When retail chains deploy hundreds of these units throughout their network, what equipment do you think will provide the backend support? Apple servers and software of course. Jump on this, Apple!
Yes, combine Filemaker, Apple iPod touch and the Mac mini server into a complete POS system.
Yes, combine Filemaker, Apple iPod touch and the Mac mini server into a complete POS system.
Absolutely. If Apple (or their point-of-sale subsidiary) could put bundles like that together that for a few thousand bucks, and combine it with great service and support, it could be huge for upstarts and small businesses.
hahaha, that guy that created twitter has a startup called “Square” Apple is gonna destroy it with this POS reader. Great ideas come from apple!
POS is an unfortunate choice of acronym to describe this thing – it would be more appropriate for Zune.
Apelock – took the words right out of my mouth.
I have never purchased anything from an Apple Retail store until recently. I bought Snow Leopard at the Albuquerque store and they had these slick devices there. It was kind of impressive. I could see how lots of other retailers would be interested in something like this.
Interesting: the form factor looks a great deal like the Mophie Juicepack air. Bigger, obviously, but the same two-piece shell, and included battery, with charge indicator on the back. Looks like Apple is borrowing a few ideas there–at least they chose a good company from which to borrow!
If the Touch had a camera, they could take a digital scan of your ID as well, for optional protection against credit fraud.
When they scan your credit card, your ID image appears on the device, and they can verify that it is in fact you.
I don’t think that would be too difficult to implement.
I bought the Magic Mouse at the 3rd Street Promenade store in Santa Monica recently. They have the new iPod Touch readers, and I asked the guy taking my card about it. He had a big smile and said it made their life a whole lot easier, a great improvement. It certainly looked like a nice system to me.
The author of the article hasn’t even tried one of these new devices and yet he’s already calling them a POS. Sheeesh.
Apple is really sneaking up o enterprise
Really, Apple did it again. Take a function that’s been around for years in some barely passable fashion and make it slick, sexy, and rock solid.