Square Launches 'Terminal' For Card and Mobile Payments
*By Bridgette Webb*
Square wants to revamp those drab credit card readers.
The San Francisco-based company on Thursday debuted the Square Terminal, a new all-in-one hardware device that enables businesses to accept all physical debit and credit cards and mobile payments through Apple ($AAPL) Pay, Google ($GOOGL) Pay, Samsung Pay, and NFC.
"It's a great combination of our amazing payment service and combines it with hardware that's integrated all in one ー beautiful and exactly the technology all kinds of business need," Jesse Dorogusker, Square's hardware lead said in an interview on Cheddar.
"It's all set up to replace all terminals and legacy terminals out there."
The Terminal costs $399 and carries a 2.6 percent and 10 cent transaction fee for every payment. Square ($SQ) is offering a $300 credit as an incentive for businesses to switch over.
The device broadens the scope of company's suite of products, which includes the counter-top Square Register ($999) aimed at larger retailers, the small Bluetooth card reader ($49) for mom-and-pop shops, and a free magnetic stripe reader.
The launch also comes about a week after the company said long-time CFO Sarah Friar would step down to become the CEO of social network Nextdoor. Her departure shook investors in the company ー shares fell 20 percent in the two days after the news.
But Dorogusker isn't worried.
"Sarah is a tremendous leader, we are really excited for her," he said.
"She's had a lifelong dream of being a CEO, and I know she will be a great executive at the helm. We have a lot of confidence in our ambitions, momentum, and the performance of this team."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/square-launches-new-device-for-credit-cards-and-mobile-payments).
Diageo, one of the largest distillers in the world, recently reported its global sales have surpassed pre-COVID levels. Debra Crew, the company's North American president, joined Cheddar to discuss the surging sales, supply chain disruptions, and its efforts in non-alcoholic beer and spirits. "We had growth across all five regions," Crew said. "A year ago that wasn't true. This was really more of a North America recovery story. This year you really see this across the globe, people returning back in. On premise reopening really helped us." The producers of Don Julio tequila and Ketel One vodka also opened a new carbon neutral distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky.
Although the auto industry is faced with chip shortages and supply chain woes, Tesla was still expected to report record earnings, and Elon Musk did not disappoint. Jon Rettinger, President of JFL Network, joins Cheddar News to discuss the company, the electric vehicle competition, and growth for the auto industry.
A year after the r/WallStreetBets community on Reddit drove GameStop and other meme stocks to unprecedented heights, the subreddit seems to be losing its luster among retail investors. Caitlin McCabe, markets and retail trading reporter from The Wall Street Journal, joined Cheddar to talk about the waning popularity of the group “Users are going on to find the next GameStop, and instead, they're seeing many of the new users who have joined the subreddit still talking about GameStop and AMC," McCabe noted. "And, they've become frustrated as they're ready to move on from those original meme stocks."
Tech titan Microsoft reported its second fiscal quarter of 2022 earnings on Tuesday, its first earnings report since announcing its plans to acquire gaming company Activision Blizzard in a multibillion dollar deal. Steve Larsen, co-founder of PlannerDAO, explains the role that cloud services played for Microsoft in the quarter and what the future may hold for Microsoft in the midst of the new acquisition.
Microsoft is expected to report financial results for its second fiscal quarter of 2022. It comes after the company beat on its top and bottom line in its previous four quarters. John Freeman of CFRA Research explains what investors will be keeping an eye out for as Microsoft continues to expand its domain.
Sam Stovall, Chief Investment Strategist at CFRA, tells us what to expect as the month of January comes to a close, and whether or not recent market volatility is at all indicative of how the year will likely forecast.