# Square Register for iPad looks to replace your humble cash till



## Kid_Eternity (Mar 5, 2012)

Looks like we'll be seeing more iPad's playing cash till in future, well at least if Square get their way:



Read more about Square.


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## mauvais (Mar 5, 2012)

Spanish music festival Primavera Sound tried to use iPads as cash registers. Cue no alcohol being sold for over 36 hours. If you actually think about it, or at least get Siri to think about it for you, the iPad is possibly _the _least appropriate setup for not only retail but anything graced with the most subtle whiff of enterprise, especially since NCR finally discontinued their line of disgruntled, wanking circus monkeys wearing Christmas cracker party hats and sitting behind this:


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## editor (Mar 5, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Looks like we'll be seeing more iPad's playing cash till in future, well at least if Square get their way:


Oh that set up really looks rock-solid, hugely durable and not even slightly easy to steal.


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 5, 2012)

editor said:


> Oh that set up really looks rock-solid, hugely durable and not even slightly easy to steal.



Yeah cos theft of tills in shops is soooo prevalent outside of Brixton.


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## mauvais (Mar 5, 2012)

Financial transactions via the headphone jack! Hi, is that Visa? I've got a transaction to crack on with so I hope it's OK if I just make modem noises with my mouth?


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 5, 2012)

mauvais said:


> Financial transactions via the headphone jack! Hi, is that Visa? I've got a transaction to crack on with so I hope it's OK if I just make modem noises with my mouth?


 
LOL!


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## skyscraper101 (Mar 5, 2012)

It's a nice idea but probably best suited to small traders and market stalls etc. Virtually every big retailer has an infra-red barcode scanner for the hundreds of products they sell. Can't see it making a big spash with small retailers either unless not being able to take cards is a massive business loss to them. I bet there's a charge associated with it too. And that charge is the very reason small retailers choose not to take cards.

Also that video conveniently misses out where to put the cash. A proper till has that facility, or else you're using moneybelts.


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## editor (Mar 5, 2012)

That card swipey thing hanging off the iPad would last about ten minutes in a normal retail environment.


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## editor (Mar 5, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yeah cos theft of tills in shops is soooo prevalent outside of Brixton.


Err, cash till theft is hardly uncommon at all in the UK. Turn them into highly pocketable, desirable, easy to nick and easy to sell on consumer items and their nickability goes right on up.


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 5, 2012)

skyscraper101 said:


> It's a nice idea but probably best suited to small traders and market stalls etc. Virtually every big retailer has an infra-red barcode scanner for the hundreds of products they sell. Can't see it making a big spash with small retailers either unless not being able to take cards is a massive business loss to them. I bet there's a charge associated with it too. And that charge is the very reason small retailers choose not to take cards.
> 
> Also that video conveniently misses out where to put the cash. A proper till has that facility, or else you're using moneybelts.


 
I can see it working in some shops than others, but also this could be huge for the charity sector. Those on street charity pushers will find this type of thing very useful, far better than the old change bucket.


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## editor (Mar 5, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Those on street charity pushers will find this type of thing very useful, far better than the old change bucket.


LOL. You think it's a good idea for chuggers to ask people to get their credit cards out _in the street_ so they can have them hacked verified over a wireless connection via an iPad?

How often do you hand over your credit card to a stranger in the street?

Charities have got far better things to spend their money on than this contraption.


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## skyscraper101 (Mar 5, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I can see it working in some shops than others, but also this could be huge for the charity sector. Those on street charity pushers will find this type of thing very useful, far better than the old change bucket.


 
But its exactly those kind of places that
1) can't afford the fees charged by credit cards
2) don't feel the need to have the facility. How often have you gone into a charity shop expecting to pay by visa? Half the items on sale will probably be less than a fiver, its just not worth it for them.
3) run by old timers who don't get/can't afford ipad tech. It's hard enough paying by card in small grocery shops sometimes.

Again, its a nice idea.. and I'm all for getting rid of cash. But I'm more interested in the mega rich credit card organisations and Google getting it together to offer NFC payment. Then offering it out to stores to integrate with their existing card payment facilities. Expecting a widespread takeup of retailers getting ipads and replacing tills is a bit far fetched.


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## stuff_it (Mar 5, 2012)

mauvais said:


> Financial transactions via the headphone jack! Hi, is that Visa? I've got a transaction to crack on with so I hope it's OK if I just make modem noises with my mouth?


Is that why Windoze lets you know every tie you plug anything into the audio jack?


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## editor (Mar 5, 2012)

skyscraper101 said:


> Again, its a nice idea.. and I'm all for getting rid of cash. But I'm more interested in the mega rich credit card organisations and Google getting it together to offer NFC payment. Then offering it out to stores to integrate with their existing card payment facilities. Expecting a widespread takeup of retailers getting ipads and replacing tills is a bit far fetched.


NFC is a far more sensible prospect because in the list of stupid things to do in the street these three figure highly:

1: Walk around with an expensive iPad on show
2: Hand over your credit card to a complete stranger
3: Trust the technlogy (and the stranger) to keep your credit card details safe when the transaction is happening in a public place

And then there's the obvious scam potential....


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## mauvais (Mar 6, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> Is that why Windoze lets you know every tie you plug anything into the audio jack?


No, mostly just for convenience - not many security threats there apart from espionage. But it is a fairly stupid way to do something that ought to be authenticated end-to-end.


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## stuff_it (Mar 6, 2012)

mauvais said:


> No, mostly just for convenience - not many security threats there apart from espionage. But it is a fairly stupid way to do something that ought to be authenticated end-to-end.


Why is that convenient though? I know if I've plugged something in or not. It's bothered me for years.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Mar 6, 2012)

editor said:


> LOL. You think it's a good idea for chuggers to ask people to get their credit cards out _in the street_ so they can have them hacked verified over a wireless connection via an iPad?
> 
> How often do you hand over your credit card to a stranger in the street?
> 
> Charities have got far better things to spend their money on than this contraption.


 
Exactly.
Once you card is scanned onto a computer it is easy to duplicate it. Don't give me that chip and pin bullshit, the mag stripe basically has a code to refer it to the chip. 00 it reads from the mag stripe, 01 it goes to the chip. Your card mag stripe info is no on the ipad, change the 01 to an 00 and put the info on a blank library card as fast as you can swipe it.

They are not going to do away with the mag stripe until every country in the world does. Until then, the system needs the mag for US visitors or whoever.

Don't let anyone swipe your card on anything other than a card reader.


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## mauvais (Mar 6, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> Why is that convenient though? I know if I've plugged something in or not. It's bothered me for years.


Because there's about seven jacks and noone ever knows which one is which.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 6, 2012)

mauvais said:


> Because there's about seven jacks and noone ever knows which one is which.


 
Green. I always go for green.


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## stuff_it (Mar 6, 2012)

mauvais said:


> Because there's about seven jacks and noone ever knows which one is which.


I've never had more than two, or perhaps on one computer three (two headphones one microphone). I normally take the cue that they are audio jacks by the way they have a small round 3.5mm hole in them.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 6, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> I've never had more than two, or perhaps on one computer three (two headphones one microphone). I normally take the cue that they are audio jacks by the way they have a small round 3.5mm hole in them.


 
Most modern motherboards have 6 or so, but mine is smart enough that it's lets you choose what it does when you plug something into a random one. I'd guess most do the same, but my dedicated sound card won't.


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## editor (Mar 7, 2012)

Whereas the modified iPad they've made for NYC taxis makes a lot more sense.


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## toggle (Mar 7, 2012)

editor said:


> LOL. You think it's a good idea for chuggers to ask people to get their credit cards out _in the street_ so they can have them hacked verified over a wireless connection via an iPad?
> 
> How often do you hand over your credit card to a stranger in the street?
> 
> Charities have got far better things to spend their money on than this contraption.


 
well, they should do, but i wouldn't put money againsy some deciding this was an amazing idea


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 7, 2012)

editor said:


> LOL. You think it's a good idea for chuggers to ask people to get their credit cards out _in the street_ so they can have them hacked verified over a wireless connection via an iPad?
> 
> How often do you hand over your credit card to a stranger in the street?
> 
> Charities have got far better things to spend their money on than this contraption.


 
Shows how little you know about what charities are planning in this area.


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## editor (Mar 7, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Shows how little you know about what charities are planning in this area.


Please enlighten us, oh charities expert.


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## skyscraper101 (Mar 8, 2012)

What I still don't get, is why anyone would want to invest in an Apple-specific plastic box thing when NFC payment via Google wallet is an already established, credit card company approved, multi-platform device for transferring payments between mobile devices.

How many charities will be prepared to fit out their minimum-wage paid chuggers with an ipad, complete with a square payment device to stand around on Britains streets (in all weathers) just for the convenience that some people may prefer to swipe a credit card than hand over cash, or fill in a direct debit form.

This 'square' thing is bollocks frankly.


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## stupid kid (Mar 8, 2012)

There's fuck all new about touchscreen cash registers, pubs have been doing it since about the 1700s.


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## Elvis Parsley (Mar 8, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Shows how little you know about what charities are planning in this area.


So who's planning what then? I work for a charity in Stockwell with interest/links in this sort of thing and we've not heard anything about ipads being used. 

As has already been said having an ipad at the till-point, especially when they're unstaffed is going to be a huge temptation to those with light fingers. More importantly there's no way i'd be comfortable sending a chugger out with an ipad, the last thing they need is to be made _more_ vulnerable to harassment on the street.


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## Belushi (Mar 8, 2012)

If I were a chugger I'd think 'this shiny new ipad is worth more than i will earn this week' and abscond with it


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## Cid (Mar 10, 2012)

skyscraper101 said:


> What I still don't get, is why anyone would want to invest in an Apple-specific plastic box thing when NFC payment via Google wallet is an already established, credit card company approved, multi-platform device for transferring payments between mobile devices.
> 
> How many charities will be prepared to fit out their minimum-wage paid chuggers with an ipad, complete with a square payment device to stand around on Britains streets (in all weathers) just for the convenience that some people may prefer to swipe a credit card than hand over cash, or fill in a direct debit form.
> 
> This 'square' thing is bollocks frankly.


 
You've kind of answered your own question 'between mobile devices'... i.e you need your customer to have a compatible device, which most won't. Most will have a credit card.

Personally would get one of these if it works well and doesn't cost too much, very useful for exhibitions etc.


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## editor (Mar 10, 2012)

Elvis Parsley said:


> So who's planning what then? I work for a charity in Stockwell with interest/links in this sort of thing and we've not heard anything about ipads being used.


I'm still waiting to benefit from his claimed inside knowledge too.


Elvis Parsley said:


> More importantly there's no way i'd be comfortable sending a chugger out with an ipad, the last thing they need is to be made _more_ vulnerable to harassment on the street.


Exactly. It's truly idiotic idea.


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## Cid (Mar 10, 2012)

The idea of chuggers walking around with iPads is clearly ridiculous, but the product itself (provided it works well) could be very handy for anyone who does a lot of selling in exhibitions, or basically anywhere you might not be able to use a standard chip and pin device.


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## editor (Mar 10, 2012)

Cid said:


> The idea of chuggers walking around with iPads is clearly ridiculous, but the product itself (provided it works well) could be very handy for anyone who does a lot of selling in exhibitions, or basically anywhere you might not be able to use a standard chip and pin device.


There's no doubt that it will have some very useful applications in specific circumstances, but the notion of chuggers clutching expensive iPads asking people to conduct credit card transactions_ in the street_ seems ridiculous to me, but I'm sure KE will be along soon to explain all.


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