iPad Point of Sale Pros and Cons

Currently the company I work for is developing an iPad application for point of sale. I have noticed various other companies developing such apps but how good is an iPad as a POS solution? I can see quite a few pros and cons. Below is a list of what I consider as the pros and cons, first pros:

• Hardware surprisingly is cheap for each unit, other units can cost a lot more.
• Company image looks good when using the most up to date system. iPad is a cool device and this portrays an image of professionalism.
• Ease of use, if the application is designed well it makes the sales person confident about the system. This also applies to other hardware but at the time of writing this the iPad has great touch screen technology.

And now the cons:

• The iPad is a very basic device compared to others, it requires more hardware behind the scenes.
• Because it is a desirable device, it is more likely to be stolen, either by employees or by customers who later on break in to steal all the devices.
• I am still not sure how robust the device is but unless you get a decent case or cover I can imagine it will start looking damaged with scratches quickly.
• Development is expensive, this is because Apple developers at the moment charge more than others. Also it requires web service development, so there is a range of developers required. This is not the case if you manage to find a suitable out the box POS system.

These are some pros and cons but I am sure others will pop up as time goes on. I am still not sure how the battery life will handle a day of using. Will have to wait an see.

Don't take iPhone Skiing

I just read an article which says that iPhones do not operate below 0ºC, and Apple refuses to repair any phones which have breached this specification. In the UK in the winter months it often is below 0, this does mean that if your car break down or if there is a problem and you are stuck in the snow you are not meant to use your iPhone. This also means that you should not use your phone while skiing, this could be a safety issue as I believe having a working phone on the mountain to be a good thing. Last time I went skiing myself and other people did use there iPhones (3Gs) in below 0 conditions without any problem so this could be an iPhone 4 issue. Other phone companies like Sony allow operational use to -20ºC, I think it would be a good idea for Apple to produce a phone that can be used confidently in below 0 conditions.

Freeware Stopwatch App

There is a freeware stopwatch application available from RicRac under the following link:
Freeware Stopwatch

This includes the following features:
- Start, Stop and Reset timer.
- Countdown timer.
- Minimises into the system tray.

This application is available for Windows.