Apple Rolls Out New EasyPay Hardware For Its Retail Stores

If you've been to an Apple retail store, you've seen the sales staff using handheld terminals to ring up your purchase and get you on your way. If you happened to take a gander at one of the terminals, you may have noticed it was running Windows CE (Windows Embedded Compact; yes, I know the initials seem backward, but hey, it's a Microsoft product).

According to AppleInsider, Apple will be replacing the Windows CE-based handheld terminals with a new system based on the iPod touch. Dubbed EasyPay, the system will let Apple Store staff process credit or debit cards as well as cash transactions.

The iPod touch will be equipped with a barcode scanner as well as a magnetic strip reader, and the point-of-sale software will be able to understand complex sales that result when a single bar code scan produces multiple items on a receipt.

Still missing from the new point-of-sale system is easy printing of receipts. As with the current system, sales associates will ask if you want a printed receipt or if they can email it to you instead. If you request a printed receipt, they have to run off to the backroom to get it.

Also, debit card processing is still somewhat cumbersome, requiring customers to use special terminals to swipe their card and enter their PIN number. It's unclear why the EasyPay system cannot process this directly, although I think this is a limit imposed by the backend system Apple has contracted with to process credit and debit cards, and not the actual EasyPay software.

Hopefully, all the bugs will be shaken out before holiday season sales get underway.