Apple has recently launched its brand new iPad2 which is a touch screen tablet computer. It is designed primarily to feature audio-visual media such as books, films, games, music and the internet.

But what has any of this got to do with a touch screen kiosk?

The term iPad kiosk has been featured on several occasions in the media and fundamentally it is an iPad which is embedded into a self-service kiosk.

A kiosk benefits businesses by increasing efficiencies and enhancing customer experiences and due to the fact that tablets are low-cost and many people are already familiar with using the interface in their everyday lives, some firms are integrating the two in a way to better reach consumers and to make use of advanced technologies.

Some retailers are introducing tablets for use by staff but also employing them for direct-use by a consumer via an iPad-based kiosk application. Examples include the JFK and LaGuardia airports in New York, America in which passengers order food from the airport restaurants via an iPad kiosk as well as play games and check flight information; as well as the Disney store in Florida which has an iPad mounted display that allows kids to browse products organised according to Disney characters.

A touch screen kiosk can also do such things as well as provide videos, printing capabilities, ticket dispensing, way finding, internet, payment, ordering, loyalty and more.

Whatever type of touch screen unit you use, stay ahead of the game and keep up-to-date with technology in order to compete in such competitive markets.

Deploy a kiosk with Protouch; Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of touch screen technology.

ENDS

Last year was a fantastic year for us; we won best use of technology in the hospitality and leisure sector in the Retail Systems Awards, Carnival UK deployed our kiosks at sea on their cruise ships, and retail store Matalan launched a concept store featuring our kiosks.

So it is no surprise that we are very excited about the upcoming year and what 2011 will bring!

In terms of the touch screen technology industry, businesses and companies are constantly looking for the next big thing to please the customers and better their experience to keep them coming back for more.

This is especially difficult to overcome, with the challenge of an already weakened economy and falling sales.

However, industry experts have agreed that the goal and top trend for 2011 is to combine kiosks, tablets and mobile technologies to keep the clients and consumers buying and using the technology.

The Touch screen tablet, such as the iPad, is said to rise in the market this year alongside app developers, as a definite trend to watch out for that impacts the kiosk industry.

This is exampled by the news story we previously reported upon, in which kiosks were installed at New York’s John F Kennedy and La Guardia airports where the consumer could order a meal deal on an iPad.

And only last week the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office made public Apple’s patent “Social Networking in Shopping Environments” which described how in-store kiosks would allow customers to access an item list and information on their phones and then share.

As stated, it is expected the mobile and kiosk industries will also work together, with the convergence of all technologies helping to engage the customer in its fullest.

Shoppers will be able to log in to their accounts via store kiosks but also online or on their mobile phones; with the kiosk acting as the focal point as it coordinates the overall customer experience.

It seems the public is more accepting now than ever of self-service machines, with them being so user friendly.

Tom Quarry, Managing Director of Protouch, said: “We are very proud of the success we have had over the past year and are more determined than ever to have a fantastic 2011. Touch screen kiosks are having a massive impact on businesses and will only become greater and more influential as the year progresses. To meet with this extremely wide need for self service, our kiosks are continually evolving and utilising the many innovative devices that are in demand across all industry sectors.”

To install a Touch screen kiosk in your business, contact Protouch today.

Touch screen technology is everywhere and it’s just getting bigger by the day. The multimedia interactive technology offers consumers a modern platform which allows them to say good by to the keypad and hello to a innovative and compact technology products.

Although it may only seem that the touch screen interface has been around and about for the past few years, research suggests otherwise. Dating back to the 80s the touch screen was a new and exciting technological device that has been developed and improved over the years to mix into our every day world; and that development has proven to be a huge success with mobile phones, kiosk systems, computers and many more technology products adopting a touch screen interface.

So to give you an idea of the world of touch screen and how it all began, here are a few touch screen gadgets from years gone by.

The BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme in 1982 featured a very early touch screen computer. Unfortunately the exact model is unknown.

In 1983 Hewlett Packard’s HP-150 was the first commercially available touch screen PC. The screen was fitted with a grid of infrared beams which were in place to detect finger movements across the screen; however the IR sensors often became clogged up with dust and dirt and required regular cleaning.

In 1993, Apple was still leading the way in handheld devices with its Newton PDA. With handwriting recognition it was years ahead of its time and even now the device is commonly found being sold on Internet auction sites for large prices.

The first ever Smartphone was launched in 1993 with the IBM’s Simon. It featured a calender, note pad and fax function. Users could put their phone numbers using the touch screen interface.

In 1996 the Palm took over the touch screen market for over ten years with its Pilot series. The company then expanded its products to Smartphone technology getting rid of its operating system in favour of Windows Mobile.

The year 2000 saw the launch of Microsoft handheld ‘tablet’ devices. Bill Gates, founder, saw the potential of the touch screen device and launched the product with the Windows XP Tablet edition in 2002. Not many people bought the tablet PC’s due to the high costs.

2004 saw the introduction or touch screen Smartphones which have grown in popularity over the years. Handsets such as Nokia’s Symbian handsets, Windows Mobile as well as the Sony Ericsson’s UIQ phones have all driven the touch screen technology forward.

The launch of the Apple iPhone in 2007 hit the touch screen industry by storm. There was a lot of work that needed to be done to the device for it to meet to people’s expectations however the sleek and sophisticated design proved to be an overall winner which left many other mobile phone manufacturers struggling to play catch up.

2008 saw the touch screen industry move for a more commercial than home use. The new Microsoft touch screen controlled table was launched prices at a whopping £8,500. The new interactive system adopted a multi touch surface which allowed many users to interact at the same time.

And as we arrive into 2010 the iPad landed on our doorstep. The new multi-functional facility has received massive interest worldwide with 1 million units sold within a month of its launch.