Unless the build quality has changed under Motorola, the Symbol devices always worked really well (unless the user was not so kind to it)
When I say "device" I mean the entire thing, hardware and software.
Exactly where the problems are from, I don't know, but would assume that most of it is from the software.
Though our sales person said that they did lose connectivity at times.
That could be simply because it's being used in an electronic environment with a strong wireless signal. My portable home phone has the same problem in my computer room. It loses the signal shortly after crossing the threshold.
Why did apple wait this long? I mean they even commercialized this credit card terminal app on their national iphone commercial. Here are some of these solutions currently available on the app store today:
yeah, Apple is such an amateur retailer. Perhaps you can straighten them out. I'm sure any sort of early adopter problems will pale compared to the trash that is Windows CE.
I mean really, saying Apple will have transition problems moving from Windows CE is about as hilariously retarded as anything coming out of techsnuff.
While this isn't a retail issue, when Apple rolled out MobileMe, that didn't go so well - I would say it's not the wisest time to try your dogfood around the busiest shopping season of the year, but perhaps Apple did their testing this time.
That is only with v3.0, but the reason for including MMS in v1.x or 2.x to the non-AT&T carriers does look to be Apple?s fault. It certainly doesn?t seem technical.
In the context of the comment I was replying to, and the specific reference to "a later firmware", he was either referring to a 3.x related firmware update, that wasn't available at the release of 3.0 as having been needed for AT&T to enable MMS, or had no idea what he was talking about, which is entirely possible. But, no, clearly the MMS issue was never a technical issue for Apple.
I don't recall ever having to go to terminal to repair a Mac. I'm sure it's fewer than the times I've had to go to regedit, though thankfully that was rare.
There's almost always a non-command line way to do stuff, but if you have some problem and search for a solution, you may find something that tells you to open terminal and do something like, "defaults write ...", which is quick and effective, but not always the only way to do it.
"Apple will move to iPod touch EasyPay devices across the board for the holiday season"
Does this mean Apple will be using Touches as clients to the same EasyPay back end they already have? That could be good or bad.
Good: All the reporting, accounting, and "to home" interfaces stay the same, making this transition much cheaper.
Bad: EasyPay may be a pile of crap. Some of the problems could be in the way the software is designed. Changing the client won't fix that.
And I think using Touches is a great idea. Customers walk in the store and encounter Apple employees using Apple products. Apple, Apple, Apple wall to wall.
Why did apple wait this long? I mean they even commercialized this credit card terminal app on their national iphone commercial. Here are some of these solutions currently available on the app store today: ...
Well, I believe they only added support for connecting hardware devices in OS 3.0, and the software they will be running on the Touches is probably custom and may only have been a part of what they had to develop, since we don't know how much of the interfaces with other systems they kept or ripped out and rewrote, or at least updated.
So, not really that long from the point where they could do this to the rollout. But, it's great marketing to have them using their own hardware for this, and was a bit of an embarrassment for them not to have been.
Why did apple wait this long? I mean they even commercialized this credit card terminal app on their national iphone commercial. Here are some of these solutions currently available on the app store today:
They probably wanted a mag stripe reader and bar code scanner, among other things.
I don't think the merchant account is the hold-up. They probably wanted a stripe reader for speed and transaction cost reasons. Using a stripe reader costs less per transaction because there is less risk of fraud.
Also, they probably wanted a hardware module to read bar codes to fill in prices and item types, and after a sale, automatically deduct the sale from inventory. I'm sure there is more to it than that too.
Given this is expected to be one of Apple's biggest ever holiday seasons, is this really the time to go live with a new system? Remember MobileMe? Are we learning yet?
Given this is expected to be one of Apple's biggest ever holiday seasons, is this really the time to go live with a new system? Remember MobileMe? Are we learning yet?
This is nothing like the MobileMe release. The problem with MobileMe was the free access to sign up and test it along with the iPhone release and Apple Stores pushing the purchase of it. They should have done a staggered release with current iMac members and made MobileMe free period after you put in your CC info, like they do now.
They?re already testing it in a store and can stagger the release in any other store along with the Symbol devices. They can even have all those Symbol devices waiting in the wings even after they change up to Touches, just in case something goes wrong.
It?s not a one-or-the-other situation here. There is nothing to lose and a lot to gain from faster checkouts this holiday season.
Mul n, but the different uniform colors were found to be more confusing than helpful to customers. Apple will return to using a single shirt color for all store employees, which will change over time. The site also confirms that Apple will move to iPod touch EasyPay devices across the board for the holiday season.
....It seems stupid to begin with, honestly. Just get a normal POS if they are that much trouble. In an effort to look cool and hip, they carry around these portable POS machines, but in the end they just waste people's time. ...
Honestly, if they were as bad as this article makes it sound, why on earth would Apple use them in the first place? The irony is hilarious. Bitch about Windows and MS and their crap software, but use their products in all the stores.
The reason for the handheld POS terminals is so that the store doesn't have long checkout lines, and so that the customer can proceed directly from the interaction with the staff member to purchase without any reason or opportunity to leave the store (that is, failure to convert a prospect to a sale). Make it easy to buy, and people will buy. Haven't you ever been in a store, with a product in your hand, thinking: "will someone just take my money and let me get out of here?"
Well, at an Apple store, someone will.
And the POS terminals they have are an embarrassment - I've had them fail (require data re-entry, re-scan, etc.) when I've been buying something at least half the time. Yes, it's ironic, but in kind of a funny way - "look what happens when you have to use Windows to do your job."
Honestly, if they were as bad as this article makes it sound, why on earth would Apple use them in the first place? The irony is hilarious. Bitch about Windows and MS and their crap software, but use their products in all the stores.
The problems were there, but you're right, the article seems to exaggerate the problems. I don't remember many problems, but I only had five transactions, and I didn't buy my phone through the Apple store.
The reason why Apple has been using these despite the problems, is that they still offer an advantage to Apple and its customers. Even with the problems, its still faster to pull customers off the line, or encounter them in the store with package in hand and check them out, even if a certain percent of the time they have to redo it.
While we didn't have POS devices in my company because we weren't that type of business, my lab did use credit card terminals.
Oh yes, we did have problems with them. Errors in reading cards, errors in transaction approvals etc. But we didn't think to go to another company, because from feedback from other companies, they ALL had these problems.
Apple is in the same boat. It's very likely that all of the systems out there have similar problems. some due to hardware, some due to software, some due to both. This isn't new technology, and the handsets haven't been changed in years.
Hopefully, Apple's own hardware and OS will be better. At least, it shouldn't be worse. I would imagine that tests in Apple's own store are going well, otherwise they wouldn't be bringing it out during the busiest season, though I would expect a few hiccups.
To me the hand-held POS system is simply using the divide and conquer technique to reduce lines and customer waiting time. It makes perfect sense to me, and I don't think Apple uses this method to be cool.
It also makes sense that Apple would want to use its own products instead of competitors.
Also, I can count just one or two times where I had problems due to the POS checking out.
I wonder if the form factor of the touch will be an issue. I find the touch to be a bit hard to hold, and would probably really dislike holding it for hours at a time
I wonder if th touch plus peripheral could be a prototype for a new piece of hardware. There is lots of need for portable systems like the SYMBOL. An ipod touch with built in bar scanner and card swiper could be huge for all kinds of retail and data-collection operations.
I wonder if th touch plus peripheral could be a prototype for a new piece of hardware. There is lots of need for portable systems like the SYMBOL. An ipod touch with built in bar scanner and card swiper could be huge for all kinds of retail and data-collection operations.
It is a big market to breaking into, and of course, if I remember correctly, Symbol (or Motorola now I suppose) own most of the patents for bar code scanning. And one of the reason a lot of the existing solutions cost a little more is due to how rugged they are
Comments
Unless the build quality has changed under Motorola, the Symbol devices always worked really well (unless the user was not so kind to it)
When I say "device" I mean the entire thing, hardware and software.
Exactly where the problems are from, I don't know, but would assume that most of it is from the software.
Though our sales person said that they did lose connectivity at times.
That could be simply because it's being used in an electronic environment with a strong wireless signal. My portable home phone has the same problem in my computer room. It loses the signal shortly after crossing the threshold.
Billing Credit Card Terminal
by: Spartadata.com
itms://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/M...&mt=8&s=143441
iTouch2Pay
by: Interware.Net Inc.
http://www.itouch2pay.com/
iDeposit.net
by: iDeposit.net, Inc
http://www.ideposit.net/ui/index.php...rtual-terminal
See the full list of available iphone credit card terminal solutions on this excellent article published on Billing Community
yeah, Apple is such an amateur retailer. Perhaps you can straighten them out. I'm sure any sort of early adopter problems will pale compared to the trash that is Windows CE.
I mean really, saying Apple will have transition problems moving from Windows CE is about as hilariously retarded as anything coming out of techsnuff.
While this isn't a retail issue, when Apple rolled out MobileMe, that didn't go so well - I would say it's not the wisest time to try your dogfood around the busiest shopping season of the year, but perhaps Apple did their testing this time.
Hopefully Apple will make a product out of this for small retailers.
It would make a great package with the Mac mini Server.
My prediction: The next chain store to feature the new Apple retail order system will be the updated, all-new Disney Stores.
That is only with v3.0, but the reason for including MMS in v1.x or 2.x to the non-AT&T carriers does look to be Apple?s fault. It certainly doesn?t seem technical.
In the context of the comment I was replying to, and the specific reference to "a later firmware", he was either referring to a 3.x related firmware update, that wasn't available at the release of 3.0 as having been needed for AT&T to enable MMS, or had no idea what he was talking about, which is entirely possible. But, no, clearly the MMS issue was never a technical issue for Apple.
I don't recall ever having to go to terminal to repair a Mac. I'm sure it's fewer than the times I've had to go to regedit, though thankfully that was rare.
There's almost always a non-command line way to do stuff, but if you have some problem and search for a solution, you may find something that tells you to open terminal and do something like, "defaults write ...", which is quick and effective, but not always the only way to do it.
Does this mean Apple will be using Touches as clients to the same EasyPay back end they already have? That could be good or bad.
Good: All the reporting, accounting, and "to home" interfaces stay the same, making this transition much cheaper.
Bad: EasyPay may be a pile of crap. Some of the problems could be in the way the software is designed. Changing the client won't fix that.
And I think using Touches is a great idea. Customers walk in the store and encounter Apple employees using Apple products. Apple, Apple, Apple wall to wall.
- Jasen.
Why did apple wait this long? I mean they even commercialized this credit card terminal app on their national iphone commercial. Here are some of these solutions currently available on the app store today: ...
Well, I believe they only added support for connecting hardware devices in OS 3.0, and the software they will be running on the Touches is probably custom and may only have been a part of what they had to develop, since we don't know how much of the interfaces with other systems they kept or ripped out and rewrote, or at least updated.
So, not really that long from the point where they could do this to the rollout. But, it's great marketing to have them using their own hardware for this, and was a bit of an embarrassment for them not to have been.
Why did apple wait this long? I mean they even commercialized this credit card terminal app on their national iphone commercial. Here are some of these solutions currently available on the app store today:
They probably wanted a mag stripe reader and bar code scanner, among other things.
I don't think the merchant account is the hold-up. They probably wanted a stripe reader for speed and transaction cost reasons. Using a stripe reader costs less per transaction because there is less risk of fraud.
Also, they probably wanted a hardware module to read bar codes to fill in prices and item types, and after a sale, automatically deduct the sale from inventory. I'm sure there is more to it than that too.
Given this is expected to be one of Apple's biggest ever holiday seasons, is this really the time to go live with a new system? Remember MobileMe? Are we learning yet?
"...for the 2009 holiday season"
Given this is expected to be one of Apple's biggest ever holiday seasons, is this really the time to go live with a new system? Remember MobileMe? Are we learning yet?
This is nothing like the MobileMe release. The problem with MobileMe was the free access to sign up and test it along with the iPhone release and Apple Stores pushing the purchase of it. They should have done a staggered release with current iMac members and made MobileMe free period after you put in your CC info, like they do now.
They?re already testing it in a store and can stagger the release in any other store along with the Symbol devices. They can even have all those Symbol devices waiting in the wings even after they change up to Touches, just in case something goes wrong.
It?s not a one-or-the-other situation here. There is nothing to lose and a lot to gain from faster checkouts this holiday season.
Mul n, but the different uniform colors were found to be more confusing than helpful to customers. Apple will return to using a single shirt color for all store employees, which will change over time. The site also confirms that Apple will move to iPod touch EasyPay devices across the board for the holiday season.
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
i love the hand held
i can name countless times i ran in to the soho/57st or staten island apple stores grabbed a mac or device and corralled a dude with a hand held
swiped
email receipt
and out the door
minutes
for a new yorker under stress its a godsend
and i CAN'T SEE WHy it matters who wrote the SW or if there now using the touch or why the fights broke out w/ a ban ??
,,,i pm ed the mods the balance of this post they can put it up here or not since MR H WANTS IT TO BE OVER . A
i mean great upgrade
....It seems stupid to begin with, honestly. Just get a normal POS if they are that much trouble. In an effort to look cool and hip, they carry around these portable POS machines, but in the end they just waste people's time. ...
Honestly, if they were as bad as this article makes it sound, why on earth would Apple use them in the first place? The irony is hilarious. Bitch about Windows and MS and their crap software, but use their products in all the stores.
The reason for the handheld POS terminals is so that the store doesn't have long checkout lines, and so that the customer can proceed directly from the interaction with the staff member to purchase without any reason or opportunity to leave the store (that is, failure to convert a prospect to a sale). Make it easy to buy, and people will buy. Haven't you ever been in a store, with a product in your hand, thinking: "will someone just take my money and let me get out of here?"
Well, at an Apple store, someone will.
And the POS terminals they have are an embarrassment - I've had them fail (require data re-entry, re-scan, etc.) when I've been buying something at least half the time. Yes, it's ironic, but in kind of a funny way - "look what happens when you have to use Windows to do your job."
Honestly, if they were as bad as this article makes it sound, why on earth would Apple use them in the first place? The irony is hilarious. Bitch about Windows and MS and their crap software, but use their products in all the stores.
The problems were there, but you're right, the article seems to exaggerate the problems. I don't remember many problems, but I only had five transactions, and I didn't buy my phone through the Apple store.
While we didn't have POS devices in my company because we weren't that type of business, my lab did use credit card terminals.
Oh yes, we did have problems with them. Errors in reading cards, errors in transaction approvals etc. But we didn't think to go to another company, because from feedback from other companies, they ALL had these problems.
Apple is in the same boat. It's very likely that all of the systems out there have similar problems. some due to hardware, some due to software, some due to both. This isn't new technology, and the handsets haven't been changed in years.
Hopefully, Apple's own hardware and OS will be better. At least, it shouldn't be worse. I would imagine that tests in Apple's own store are going well, otherwise they wouldn't be bringing it out during the busiest season, though I would expect a few hiccups.
It also makes sense that Apple would want to use its own products instead of competitors.
Also, I can count just one or two times where I had problems due to the POS checking out.
I wonder if the form factor of the touch will be an issue. I find the touch to be a bit hard to hold, and would probably really dislike holding it for hours at a time
I wonder if th touch plus peripheral could be a prototype for a new piece of hardware. There is lots of need for portable systems like the SYMBOL. An ipod touch with built in bar scanner and card swiper could be huge for all kinds of retail and data-collection operations.
I wonder if th touch plus peripheral could be a prototype for a new piece of hardware. There is lots of need for portable systems like the SYMBOL. An ipod touch with built in bar scanner and card swiper could be huge for all kinds of retail and data-collection operations.
It is a big market to breaking into, and of course, if I remember correctly, Symbol (or Motorola now I suppose) own most of the patents for bar code scanning. And one of the reason a lot of the existing solutions cost a little more is due to how rugged they are