

VeriFone launches iPhone card acceptance hardware - pmikal
http://www.paywaremobile.com/

======
rit
Apple is already using something similar (if not this device) in their stores.
I noticed last week in the 5th Ave. Apple Store in NY that the guy had an iPod
Touch with a card reader/barcode scasnner as opposed to the windows mobile
devices they traditionally used for iPhone activation, etc.

He remarked it's apple's goal to move completely to these, as the WinCE
devices suck. Pretty cool, although you've also just introduced a fantastic
portable card skimmer :)

~~~
jonah
It doesn't look like Apple stores are using this one. As you mentioned it has
a barcode scanner too. The sales drone didn't know details about it though.

+1 for VeriFone building this.

~~~
cpr
[http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/11/03/exclusive_look...](http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/11/03/exclusive_look_at_apples_new_ipod_touch_based_easypay_checkout.html)
is what Apple's using.

A bit clunky due to small manufacturing runs (no ability to super-shrink and
amortize expensive R&D over millions of copies).

------
pmikal
This is what Square should have designed....

~~~
rufo
Why?

By designing their reader the way Square has, it drastically minimizes cost
and opens the design so it works with most smartphones and even many laptops.

I hope that screenshot isn't representative of their software, either... it
looks _horrendous_.

~~~
pmikal
You think a card reader in a headphone jack is going to last long in a retail
environment?

~~~
rufo
I leave my iPhone in my pocket with a headphone jack for hours at a time while
walking/running/etc., and am ridiculously clumsy - I get the cable caught on
doorknobs, go to sleep with earbuds on and have the headphone cable tugged out
at odd angles, etc, without any apparent damage to the headphones or the
iPhone. I've done this with every iPhone I've had since the first one, also,
and the worst that's happened is an Apple Store Genius had to pull a bit of
fuzz out of the bottom.

I admit this is purely anecdotal evidence, but as long as the reader itself is
built well I see no reason why Square's reader wouldn't hold up in a retail
environment.

If it really becomes a problem, there's no reason Square couldn't provide a
reader similar to Verifone's. But with Square's method they get a ridiculously
fast time to market across a wide variety of devices with far easier to
manufacture devices and no lengthy Made for iPod approval times or worrying
about supplies of iPod authentication chips from Apple.

