Article
Casio enters the kiosk market
Best known for consumer devices, the electronics giant recently unveiled its first kiosk offering. Will it succeed in a very competitive market?
November 12, 2006 by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance
In a world of a million tiny gizmos — and almost as many manufacturers of them — Casio is one of the giants, and one of the electronics industry's true "household words." The company, originally known as Kashio Seisakujo, was founded in 1946 in Tokyo, pioneered the concept of "a calculator in every home" in 1972, and introduced one of the first PDAs in 1993.
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Larry Sampey, general manager of Casio's Systems Products Division, said the company did "a lot of research" on the kiosk industry, and was convinced it could perform well. While he wouldn't disclose any specifics, he said his company has already shipped over 1,000 kiosk units in the few months the product has been available. (Literature from Casio suggests that those 1,000 machines have made their way to hotel check-in, restaurant ordering and grocery and retail applications; named software partners include Nextep Systems, LOC Software and Micro$ale POS.)
"We think it's a booming market, and we can do it," said Steve Semones, southwest district manager for Casio. "Our touchscreen is technically a kiosk, but up until now we've just been selling it as a POS."
The QT-8000 kiosk is an integrated PC touchscreen terminal built on a very small form factor. The screen is a 15-inch TFT, with a 1024x768 resolution and splash-proof construction. It currently ships with Windows 2000 preloaded, and has a panel of built-in ports (Ethernet, USB, PS/2, parallel). In size, scope and ambition, it bears more than a passing resemblance to other all-in-one kiosk units, such as IBM's Anyplace Kiosk.
That similarity to existing products causes some analysts to wonder whether Casio is really bringing anything new to the table.
"There are already a number of strong players providing kiosk solutions in the foodservice and lodging verticals," said Mark Ozawa, managing director of Accuvia Consulting, in an interview following the FS/TEC show (which covers technology for the foodservice industry). "As it stands today, the various providers are all in a very challenging fight to differentiate themselves from one another. Based on the existing portfolio of products, I don't think Casio's consumer electronics background will provide a meaningful advantage."
"Casio isn't the first to market with an all-in-one unit, but the market certainly is not saturated yet," said Rufus Connell, research director of information technology with Frost & Sullivan. He pointed out that IBM, Planar, Elo Touchsystems, NCR, Symbol and Hand-Held Products all offer "out-of-the-box" kiosks in varying degrees of sophistication.
"Many of those vendors, particularly IBM and NCR, prefer to compete in high value-add markets," he added. "Casio has historically participated in higher-volume, lower-margin … but at the same time, they have an established cash register and POS business. If they can leverage their relationships in retail and deliver a cost-effective product, they should be positioned to compete fiercely in this space."
Kerry Bodine, principal analyst of customer experience with Forrester Research, is most skeptical about Casio's design aesthetic as it begins its foray into the land of self-service.
"I'm just wondering when kiosk manufacturers are going to stop making boring gray boxes," she said. "Has no one learned anything from the iPod?"
About James Bickers
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