ifoAppleStore's Gary Allen posts a preview at AppleInsider of Apple's new iPod touch-based EasyPay checkout system for its retail stores. The preview comes after last week's news that Apple is beginning the process of rolling out the new devices to replace the existing Windows CE-based EasyPay handheld systems.
The new iPod-touch based system consists of an integrated hard plastic shell housing the iPod touch, a magnetic stripe reader for credit cards and a barcode scanner for scanning product information. The shell also includes a hidden rechargeable battery to power the auxiliary hardware.
Barcode Scanner and Magnetic Stripe Reader
Credit card transactions will reportedly be handled entirely on the EasyPay device, with customers using a stylus to enter their signature electronically on the iPod touch.
Debit customers will need to swipe their cards and enter their PIN numbers at separate terminals located throughout the stores, but the remainder of the checkout process can be handled on the EasyPay device. Cash transactions using the EasyPay device will be rolled out at selected stores over the next six months and will allow sales associates to use the EasyPay system to electronically access any of several cash drawers scattered about the store to complete transactions.
iPhone purchasing and activation has also reportedly been integrated into the new system, allowing sales associates to enter customers' calling plan and add-on selections and permit customers to review and sign the terms and conditions required for iPhone purchases. The system can also be used to process many returns, locating purchase records via the barcode on the customer's receipt, product serial number, customer e-mail address, or credit/debit card number and generating a credit to the customer's account.
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,...
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...
