IPads come pre-installed with the iOS operating system and are built specifically for that platform. Pricing: From around £210 for the smallest (iPad Mini).Data connectivity: WiFi as standard, cellular optional.Connections: Just the one – a Lightening port, which means dongles will be necessary if you need to attached cash drawers or Chip and Pin devices.Mounting: Not specifically designed to be mounted, but a large number of 3rd party options are available.Fast-forward six years and it can be found in all walks of life and business.īut is it right for your restaurant’s POS operation? The specsĪpple is famously tight-lipped about what goes on under the hood of the iPad, but continues to push forward impressively when it comes to mobile processing power. “It’s just a big iPhone,” said the tech press.
Unfortunately, with great innovation comes even greater choice, so, in this post, we’re going to help you answer a question that is possibly rattling around your head: should you choose an iPad or Android POS system for your restaurant? iPadĪpple’s massively popular tablet was originally released in 2010 and met with a rather muted reception. Low cost tablet devices coupled with lithe yet deeply functional apps have made enterprise-level POS solutions more accessible than ever. The introduction of the iPad and the numerous competing products that followed heralded a new dawn for restaurant POS. This consequently put independent operators at something of a disadvantage to the big chains. In short, if you couldn’t afford the big stuff, you had to settle for a POS system whose only talents lied in arithmetic and the ability to fire a cash drawer. The most functional and capable would come at significant cost in the form of bulky touchscreen till hardware, while the budget option amounted to what was essentially an old-fashioned cash register with an LCD screen. There was once a time when restauranteurs had just two choices for their point of sale (POS) system.