Linēa-pro Competitor in Stores?

After my discovery of the company that designed and is now marketing the point-of-sale (POS) device used in Apple stores, Infinite Peripherals’ Linēa-pro, I figured it would be a trivial step for the device to become available in the stores themselves. Well—not so fast! Now comes word that the look-alike PAYware Mobile device by VeriFone will be sold in Apple stores later this month. Ouch! The device is a sleeve that slides on to an iPhone, links to a free VeriFone app, and includes a magstripe reader so you can begin taking credit cards for purchases. The process includes on-screen signature signing with a stylus and e-mail receipts—ouch again! Naturally, it can use cellular to transmit-receive transaction data, unlike the Linēa-pro, which uses Wi-Fi only on an iPod touch. And the PAYware doesn’t have a barcode scanner, as the Linēa-pro does. Like Infinite Peripherals, VeriFone only sells the device, not the payment processing service. You must already have a merchant account from a recognized provider. Interestingly, you might receive a call during a payment transaction—the software will ask, “Accept or decline?” and act accordingly. You can then go right back to your transaction. More interestingly, the device is free if you sign up for two years of VeriFone’s PAYware Connect gateway service, which is required for the device to connect to your merchant account. Apparently the monthly fee business model is alive and well. Apparently those fees are based on your transaction amounts, and can be “as low as 2%,” the company Web site says. That’s on top of your merchant account fees, which could be in the 3%–5% range. The bottom line for the Apple stores—you could be buying a VeriFone device off the shelf, and pay Apple using a Linēa-pro. Now that’s odd.