Handhelds carried by Apple Store employees.

Well all the Apple Stores use SAP so it would need to be a Windows front end. Took a lot of work to get those things approved by all the banks for wireless transactions.

ZiggyPastorius said:

I wasn't sure exactly what they were. Anyone know? Someone said it looked like a Windows Mobile device, but besides that being highly unlikely in an Apple store, it didn't look it was running Windows mobile. It'd be cool if someone could let me know.

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Interesting, but unless Apple is paying for their bill, I'd say they are choosing for themselves, and it could be Windows Mobile.

EDIT: Nevermind, I was thinking cell phones, not like a handheld terminal.

They're from Sequoia (one of my company's partners), and can run Palm or Windows Mobile OS's, and I'm sure also other embedded custom OS's/front ends. In the case of Apple, I'd bet either Palm or custom. As it's used purely as a POS, then the latter is most likely. I'll take a closer look next time I'm in a Store.

The basic device is similar to a ruggedized Palm, and is pretty bare but can be accessorized with an MSR, printer, barcode scanner, extra battery packs, whatever. Most models have built-in IR and WiFi. They're definitely not unique to Apple. I seem them at Hertz (and other rental agencies), and other venues where a fixed POS is too cumbersome for the task.

I would guess these are not Palm but actually Windows Mobile/Windows CE. 95% of the custom handhelds run on that OS now. Linux is starting to gain a bit of traction in this space.

I remember looking at the screen while the guy was cashing out when I just got my MacBook. I do remember seeing Windows Mobile on it and thinking "hmm that's funny."

conshok26 said:

I remember looking at the screen while the guy was cashing out when I just got my MacBook. I do remember seeing Windows Mobile on it and thinking "hmm that's funny."

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Yeah these are actually large markets, the industrial/retail mobile computers. Companies like Motorola (who purchased Symbol), Intermec, Datalogic, HHP and others are pretty big licensees of Windows Mobile.

i've seen them; they're, ugh, windows mobile... or a variant. too bad they can't use an iphone with that nifty app that uses the camera as a barcode scanner...

ingenious said:

i've seen them; they're, ugh, windows mobile... or a variant. too bad they can't use an iphone with that nifty app that uses the camera as a barcode scanner...

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Yes, they're Windows Mobile or CE.

As someone else mentioned, there's a huge market in WM/CE handhelds, from surveyer equipment to field technician devices. Especially a lot of ruggedized devices. iPhones need not apply without an Otterbox or more.

One of WM's advantages (and a disadvantage now) is that it was made to run with very limited resources (small cpu, display, RAM, ROM). And it has plenty of useful addons like Bluetooth printer drivers.

Chundles said:

Well all the Apple Stores use SAP so it would need to be a Windows front end. Took a lot of work to get those things approved by all the banks for wireless transactions.

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That's not true. Sap is the backend but the frontend gui can be custom. I would take a guess and say a web based gui like itunes.

I've just recently been to a Store and verified the ugly truth. They are, in fact, Win Mobile OS Symbols (not Sequoia--that's the VAR we work with) running a lightly-customized COTS POS app. The desktop POS's (generally an iMac) are running an Apple-developed app, though.

JohnNotBeatle said:

I've just recently been to a Store and verified the ugly truth. They are, in fact, Win Mobile OS Symbols (not Sequoia--that's the VAR we work with) running a lightly-customized COTS POS app. The desktop POS's (generally an iMac) are running an Apple-developed app, though.

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In order to make a market for a mobile iPhone POS application you would need to have some way to make the device semi-rugged. Simply dropping the iPhone inside an otterbox for instance is not going to cut it. This is why WM is the OS of choice for vertical applications such as this, it can be licensed to all types of device makers.

robanga said:

In order to make a market for a mobile iPhone POS application you would need to have some way to make the device semi-rugged. Simply dropping the iPhone inside an otterbox for instance is not going to cut it. This is why WM is the OS of choice for vertical applications such as this, it can be licensed to all types of device makers.

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It's not the OS here, it's the handheld. The Symbols are ruggedized, have a number of snap-on accessories, and can run WM, Palm, and some Linux variants. My company's POS/Activities app is sold & run on both WM and Palm versions.

JohnNotBeatle said:

It's not the OS here, it's the handheld. The Symbols are ruggedized, have a number of snap-on accessories, and can run WM, Palm, and some Linux variants. My company's POS/Activities app is sold & run on both WM and Palm versions.

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Right understood, but it is relatively unlikely that anyone is going to go for Palm Garnet at this point, isn't it? Which leaves you with Windows Mobile and indeed its all about the Handheld device. Now if a Linux variant or even (gasp) Apple would license its OS to only rugged device builders, well then you would have something

JohnNotBeatle said:

It's not the OS here, it's the handheld. The Symbols are ruggedized...

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I could be wrong, but I believe that was his point. When he said

"This is why WM is the OS of choice for vertical applications such as this, it can be licensed to all types of device makers."

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he meant that WM is the OS of choice because it can be licensed to all types of device makers, including manufacturers that make ruggedized handhelds. As opposed to the Apple handheld hardware which is not ruggedized, and the Apple mobile software which is not allowed to be licensed to other manufacturers so that one of them could put the Apple mobile OS onto a ruggedized handheld. So it's the Apple OS's fault because it is not able to be run on ruggedized hardware, as opposed to the WM OS which IS able to run on ruggedized hardware.

robanga said:

Right understood, but it is relatively unlikely that anyone is going to go for Palm Garnet at this point, isn't it? Which leaves you with Windows Mobile and indeed its all about the Handheld device. Now if a Linux variant or even (gasp) Apple would license its OS to only rugged device builders, well then you would have something

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motulist said:

I could be wrong, but I believe that was his point.

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I understood all that, my point was that for this use, the hardware was the driving factor, not the OS. It just happens that there are more readily available & customizable POS apps on the WM side currently.

More ironically, the Symbols are produced by Motorola.

I'm sure they could just install NewtonOS on them...

Apple Mobile POS Terminals

Hello, The terminals used by Apple are Symbol PPT8846 Units with MSR's (Detectable Card Readers) and a extended life battery. This units have only WiFi and IrDA for communication. From personal use, these are nice rugged terminals and Symbol/Motorola has many more. (look at there site http://www.symbol.com). These units run Windows CE and Apple uses self-Developed software on these terminals along with there main (also self-developed) POS system. This is done for many reasons including the ease of use & integration. There is no chancde of these units running any other OS then Windows CE or Windows Mobile (Apple uses Windows CE for this). Also these have a Full Bar-code scanner (Laser, 1D), they do not use a camera as a scanner. The Apple Software is also not fully web-based...

Post any questions.

- Tbrennan
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