The December holiday season is a very busy period for many retailers. Apple expected a huge request for their iPod line of digital media players, and streamlined the sales process for these devices in the Apple shops.

They reserved a section of the shop for their most popular product, and called it the iPod Express. The iPod Express area has more stock than usually to give the item directly to the customer and uses a 30-inch Cinema Display to advise customers which models were in stock. But the most revolutionary part of the iPod Express is that they take advantage of the Internet savvy audience, and mimic the Internet shopping experience,

Staffers in the iPod Express area are equipped with Symbol hand-held computers with a magnetic stripe card reader so they can process credit- and ATM cards. For registered Apple users, that is all there is; the EasyPay software recognizes the card and will send the receipt by e-mail within an hour.

The result of the iPod Express area and EasyPay system is an increased velocity of order-taking for this particular item and an improved customers’ experience.

According to Business Week, Apple is satisfied about the results of the iPod Express area and the EasyPay system, and will make it an ongoing aspect of the Apple retail experience.

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A Portable data terminal (PDT) is a little hand-held device usually used for inventory control. PDT’s are generally used in the warehouse and are useful when making stock inventory counts, receiving merchandise from your suppliers or when shipping off goods to your customers. Typical portable data terminals are rugged and run Windows CE, Windows PocketPC or a proprietary operating system. They usually are equipped with a barcode, magnetic stripe or RFID reader and communicate with the POS or business software through a wireless connection (WiFi) or by synching the PDT with a data cable. Main manufacturers of portable data terminals include Intermec and Symbol.

Devices with more functionality than PDTs are generally called hand-held computers. They allow for more functionality such as creating purchase and sales documents, without needing a full POS system. Hand-held computers are of great use in big warehouses or on the road. They can be considered an extension of you Point Of Sale. Hand-held computers are common in bars and restaurants with big terraces. Modern hand-held tools include the possibility to print a receipt on a portable Bluetooth receipt printer and sometimes even contain a magnetic stripe reader to accept credit card payments. Hand-held solutions run on commonly available hardware on which special software has been installed.

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