Why tablet POS is not a panacea

Just as the tablets were becoming the next 'big thing" for consumers, the point of sale industry has jumped on the bandwagon. The promised mobility and "low cost" was suppose to usher the new era for business solutions. However, nobody bothered to educate the merchants on the downside of the so-called mPOS.

The obvious problem with the iPad or Android tablet POS is the lack of durability. The standard POS system is manufactured specifically for the restaurant or retail environment. It is designed to be spill and dust proof. Something tablet manufacturers like Apple or Samsung simply don't need to bother with. Their product is made for the consumer, who is unlikely to abuse the mobile device the same way the merchant would.

The second issue with the tablet POS is the lack of adequate software. Sure, iPad or Android point of sale program designs are flashy and cute. And yet, the lack the functionality and the computing power of the regular POS system software. The reason for that is simple. They utilize a very simple databases, that are incapable of holding large inventory and customer lists. They can handle a small inventory of the coffee or frozen yogurt shop, but take them to the clothing, liquor or food store and see them fail and crash. And on top of all that they run on the Cloud.

Nowadays, Cloud is the favorite buzz word from your local POS dealer to the hedge fund manager. Everything Cloud is hot these days. An ability to access your information from anywhere is truly great and innovative. But there is a problem with the Cloud. Namely, it is your Internet Service Provider (ISP). The ISPs are notorious for capping data speeds and have no intention of stopping it. Yes, we are talking about you, Verizon and Time Warner. Merchants in New York City have struggled for years with snail-like speeds of Time Warner, and Verizon is not much better. Now, with the regular POS you only need Internet to process your credit cards. Meaning that no constant connection is required. With the tablet POS, your database is located in the Cloud. Therefore your mPOS requires a high speed Internet access, which doesn't exist these days. Whether it is WiFi or Wireless connection, you will experience a significant lag when operating mPOS.

Last but no least, is the issue with the tablet POS peripherals. The vast majority of the receipt printers, bar code scanners and scales was designed before mobile pos existed. This means that they were designed to operate through wired connections like USB. Hence, if you try to use them through Bluetooth or Ethernet connection, chances are you will experience problems with signal being lost. Now imagine you have a store full of customers and your receipt printer or bar code scanner loses the signal. The customer gets frustrated and walks away, and you are left without a sale.

We will not discuss the price of the mPOS here, since pricing of different mobile POS companies vary. However, all you need to know that you only "own" your POS system as long as you continue to pay for their service. As soon as you stop, all your inventory and customer database disappears like a real cloud. Therefore, for as long you operate a tablet POS, the POS company effectively holds your business hostage.

Having said that, there is a place for mobile devices and Cloud in the business environment. However, they should be supplementary rather than primary tools of managing your business and serving your customers. As a business owner, your main concern should be functionality rather than hype. After all, you wouldn't use Smart to plow the field.