La Casa de Jpomie

I just got done reading a bit about the company on their web site and viewed the Techcrunch interview with Jack Dorsey seen here: 

So, why am I bothering to write about a piece of plastic that seemingly does the job of what so many other credit card machines do throughout the course of our daily lives.  Well, because I feel that @square is extremely appealing to a HUGE market that has been so frustrated with the choices within the market when it comes to credit card acceptance.

As a former small business owner, I can tell you that finding the right credit card company to allow me to accept cards is a mind-numbing experience.  Monthly fees, contracts, cancellation fees, percentages that vary and equipment that can be quite difficult to work and keep operational.  Now, I don’t know what @square is charging, but their site says no monthly fees and no contracts and in the video it refers to them giving the little white plastic plug-in away to some merchants for free.  So, I am assuming they’re earning revenue through the percentage charged to the retail partner.

Even so, by eliminated the nightmare that small businesses go through and tapping right into the mobile phone which is ever present in our daily lives, they are tearing down barriers and make the decision making process simple.  And, when you’re running a small business, simple is GOOD.

Now, having said that (Seinfeld anyone?) @square doesn’t strike me as something that big box retail organizations would want to use. For many reasons, but the exchanging of the phone for information and the fragility of the units themselves.  Apple stores use this technology with their own proprietary equipment that also includes a nifty bar code scanner and those things are built for the industrial type of use for that environment.

Alas, I must again congratulate the team over at @square - I think this is a product whose time has come!