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So… I went for a Greek meal
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John Molloy
- [ Ignore ]
And very nice it was too.
Even nicer were the three iPad2s being used as registers in the place…
We’re, what, less than four weeks into release and this “local” restaurant had three brand spanking new iPad2s to take the money.
I came home and decided to check the POS products available on the iTunes store. There are loads - but not the one I saw running - it used photographs of all their products that the cashier could click on when placing the order.
There was one at the entrance to the place and two others at the bar.
This probably changes everything as to how the iPad is going to be used going forward…
Just my 2 cents but was a bit floored by it.
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I’m skeptical as to practicality (do iPads integrate nicely with your typical POS products like card readers?) and cash handling (not aware of any solutions with pop-out cash registers based on iPad activity).
Not to say this isn’t possible - Apple’s been actively encouraging iOS-external device integration for a while now - but I’m curious as to how far it’s really gotten, as I haven’t really heard much about it or seen much beyond Apple’s own POS solution.
Could you give us a little more info how the iPads fit in when ringing up your purchase?
[ Edited: 25 March 2011 09:50 PM by Mav ]Signature
The Summer of AAPL is here. Enjoy it (responsibly) while it lasts.
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Thanks, Steve. -
John Molloy
- [ Ignore ]
Could you give us a little more info how the iPads fit in when ringing up your purchase?
They were on stands on top of the register draw and appeared to also be connected to both the drawer and a pdq style credit card reader - the iPad was connected via the dock connector to both devices. It also had a receipt printer attached.
I will try and pop down tomorrow morning and grab some photos.
[ Edited: 25 March 2011 10:14 PM by John Molloy ]Signature
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John Molloy
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I think this is the device….
The videos are worth looking at….
http://www.poslavu.com/tutorials.php
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Plenty enough info for me.
POS Lavu’s demo is pretty impressive. Maybe lacking a touch in the polish department, but everything works as it should. “Wirelessly!”(tm) As long as you have enough signal for the entire restaurant, anyway.
Great to see iPad making inroads into commerce - I’m sure iPad 2s can ring in cheaper than more complex POS solutions. Thanks!
[ Edited: 25 March 2011 10:31 PM by Mav ]Signature
The Summer of AAPL is here. Enjoy it (responsibly) while it lasts.
AFB Night Owl Team™
Thanks, Steve. -
Great post Ratty!
On a side note, I noticed that recently at Chili’s (family dining chain for non-U.S. folks) they had little monitors that had games/entertainment stuff on there but it also had a card reader. I think you could also order food from there. I thought it was annoying since it was so large and took up a lot of room on the table. The server was worried that it was going to eliminate his job someday (so I asked him to take it away and gave him a nice tip!). Personally, I hope it never comes to that but POS units to replace registers is brilliant.
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“Mmm…did somebody say ‘calamari’?”
:oh:
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The Summer of AAPL is here. Enjoy it (responsibly) while it lasts.
AFB Night Owl Team™
Thanks, Steve. -
Great post Ratty!
On a side note, I noticed that recently at Chili’s (family dining chain for non-U.S. folks) they had little monitors that had games/entertainment stuff on there but it also had a card reader. I think you could also order food from there. I thought it was annoying since it was so large and took up a lot of room on the table. The server was worried that it was going to eliminate his job someday (so I asked him to take it away and gave him a nice tip!). Personally, I hope it never comes to that but POS units to replace registers is brilliant.
That’s the great part. There’s no real need to fix what isn’t broken (printers, cash drawers). It’s just that the iPad now becomes the intelligence of the POS system, with ultimate portability. I don’t see a lot of servers losing their jobs because of an iPad.
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The Summer of AAPL is here. Enjoy it (responsibly) while it lasts.
AFB Night Owl Team™
Thanks, Steve. -
Here’s an article and accompanying video showing the iPad as dessert menu.
