Ingenico terminals price
The idea behind Poynt is cool. They basically take an (admittedly dumbed down) iPad, iPad mini, mag stripe reader, chip reader, NFC reader, receipt printer, and tablet POS software, and put it all into one wireless device. So we shouldn't really compare this to an iCMP. We have to compare it to a fully-equipped iPad POS system with software.But what an iPad POS has that Poynt will (probably) never have is wide-reaching compatibility and integration options. If you have all of the hardware for a complete "smart" iPad POS system, you can do whatever the hell you want software-wise (more or less). While, yes, some POS software providers do not support iOS, a huge number do. And more are being added all of the time. Your payment processing (merchant account/gateway) options are limited only by your POS choice, not your hardware choice.
I'm interested to learn more about the app pricing within Poynt, and what kind of software you get built-in (presumably with no/low monthly fee?). This is where they could end up saving you money every month. Assuming it's good quality.
Think of . They provide a (fairly) functional and (reasonably) advanced POS app with payment processing for $0 each month. That's very valuable for many small businesses who aren't ready to throw down a minimum of $50 each month just for the POS software (emphasis on minimum). Square's not perfect, but they definitely deliver on value.
So if the $500 gets you two screens, a camera, a printer, NFC, chip, QR, bluetooth, 3G/wifi-capability (obv. not service), plus a functional (basic) POS system software for a flat one-time fee - that could be really valuable, especially for very small businesses trying to compete with a very small budget. The opportunity to upgrade features with app purchases and integration is a really nice touch to expand the audience. If they can get the right connections, it could be an amazing system.
[I always thought that PINs had to be entered on a separate pad, not the touchscreen. But maybe they found a way around this, or I could be mistaken. They do make it clear that the terminal can handle PIN.]
