Apple iPhones Pushing Aside Rugged Handheld Devices?

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The LIRR system, known as TIM (Ticket Issuance Machine), will involve 37 Apple iPhones, each costing about $1,200 to acquire and customize, according to Newsday, a Long Island newspaper that covered the LIRR project in today’s edition.

At 37 units, the LIRR isn’t exactly a huge iPhone deployment. But it could be a sign of the times for rugged mobile device makers and mobile VARs. Ever since Apple Stores in 2009 replaced rugged Windows Mobile devices from Motorola/Symbol with iPod Touches running EasyPay, the broader world has been wondering how quickly iPhones would catch on as mainstream mobile POS devices.

By early 2010, David Courbanou covered the Mophie ad-on device, which is similar to Apple’s own POS approach. And our site has long speculated that Apple could enter the POS market. By late 2010, Apple had lined up its first POS customer — Gap Inc.’s Old Navy subsidiary.

Fast forward to the present, and the Long Island Rail Road is on track to deploy iPhone POS devices. It’s time for VARs in the POS, retail and transportation markets to take note: It sure seems like consumer devices are pushing hard into the rugged mobile space… thanks to Apple.