The revenue figures take into consideration both new device shipments, as well as maintenance costs on existing terminals installed in the U.S. and Canada, the research firm said. Terminals running Microsoft's Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS) and Windows XP Embedded were considered, along with those running earlier versions of Windows. Together, such terminals accounted for $3.8 billion of the $5.56 billion market, IHL said.
Linux ran a distant third, with a $475 million share representing 8.5 percent of the market. However, Linux's installed base rose some 32 percent year-over-year. The installed base of Microsoft-based terminals, in comparison, grew by 400,000 units, IHL said.
Trailing Microsoft in second place were IBM's 4690 terminals, which reportedly accounted for $1.02 billion, or 18.3 percent. DOS and other OSes accounted for the remaining 4.9 percent of the market.
The study also found the following trends, which began in 2006 and are expected to continue through 2008:
- Department stores showed negative growth
- Specialty stores, quick service/fast food restaurants and "supercenters" provided the greatest growth
- LCDs and touchscreens are replacing aging hardware in grocery stores
Greg Buzek, president of IHL, said, "Upgrades to POS technologies continue to drive store renovation, and serve as the primary customer-facing device in retail. These new industry-standard installations open the door for retailers to add more advanced functionalities such as CRM loyalty systems, cross-channel integration (merging the website with the store for a single view of the customer) and better inventory visibility for associates at the point of customer interaction."
AvailabilityIHL's study, "2008 North American Retail POS Terminal Study" is available immediately. It reportedly includes "market shipment and installed base figures, market value, situation analysis for 10 retail market segments, overall trends affecting the POS market, and forecasts through 2012." It costs $2,995, and is available from the IHL website,
here.
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