Square shows off $300 ‘Stand’ to help retailers ditch old-school cash registers

Mobile payments business Square has debuted a new piece of hardware called the Square Stand that makes using an iPad as a cash register a more elegant solution.

The well-designed Square Stand costs $300 and features a card swiper at the bottom of the device. It can also connect to a receipt printer, kitchen printer, cash drawer, and barcode scanner. Square Stand only works with the second- and third-generation iPads at present, but the company will offer a Lightning-connector version later this year.

Square has focused its efforts on the iPad because customers using the device now represent almost 50 percent of all Square transactions. The Stand complements its already popular Register software for iOS that gives businesses purchase tracking abilities.

“Local business owners take as a given that they need an ugly, slow, expensive, and complicated point of sale system cluttering their counter,” Square CEO Jack Dorsey said in a statement. “Square Stand is elegant, fast, affordable, and easy to use. Whether you’re selling cupcakes, cardigans, or cappuccinos, running your business with Square has never been easier.”

Check out the video below for more.