One of my favorite parts about a trip to the Apple store is when my blue-shirted employee checks me out with his iPod touch-based EasyPay Terminal. It’s quick, requires little to no effort on my part, and it’s just plain cool. Well, it looks like Apple employees will be turning in their iPod touches for the iPad 2, as Apple stores have received dozens of iPad 2s with magnetic Smart Covers designated for employee use.
According to AppleInsider, employee training and implementation of the iPad 2 could begin as early as this weekend. In fact, one location with around 100 specialists received a shipment of 40 iPads, meaning that virtually every employee in the store would be sporting an iPad. A ratio like that leads us to believe that the iPad will in fact replace the iPod touch EasyPay system, as the iPad’s size is also more conducive to actions like signing a receipt or showing off product features.
On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine just how Apple employees would be able to comfortably and effectively wield an iPad as opposed to an iPod touch-sized device. Unless it’s placed on a desk (and all Apple fans know that employees use no such desk when completing a purchase), inputting information and other activities could become tedious. If that’s the case, the iPod touch may not be on its way out, after all, but instead act as a complimentary device to the iPad.
[via AppleInsider]