Edible Apple

ifoAppleStore reports that Apple has begun transitioning from the EasyPay portable devices it currently uses to conduct on the spot sales to an iPod Touch with an attached scanner running point of sale software.

First, the iPod touch scanner will allow employees to capture data from products that have multiple barcodes using a single pass, including the UPC, Apple serial number and product code, cellular IMEI and ICCI numbers. Second, the new set-up will allow employees to accept cash for purchases without hiking to a central register position. The switch to the iTouch is made possible by this year’s V3.0 software update, reported by AppleInsider back in April, that includes support for external devices.

Apple has been using EasyPay systems since 2005, and for the most part, they’ve worked swimmingly, even though they do run on Windows CE.  But the systems aren’t without fault, as the report notes that employees have long complained of random crashes, drops in wi-fi connectivity, and sluggish performance.  Hey, that’s Windos CE for ya.