Panini Aims to Open New Remote Capture Markets with Scanners for Macs

In a move that could open up a significant chunk of the desktop market for digitized check processing, Panini North America this week introduced what are apparently the first check scanners inherently capable of working with Apple Macintosh computers. The development “opens up a heretofore unreachable segment for remote deposit capture,” says Scott Willis, senior product marketing manager at the Dayton, Ohio-based company, a unit of Italy-based Panini SpA.

While overshadowed historically by personal computers from Microsoft Corp., Mac computers from Apple Inc. controlled a U.S. market share of nearly 11.5% in October, according to the latest available figures from market researcher Net Applications. That share has been rising, the firm says. But because of the PC’s commanding share, scanner makers have concentrated on devices that work with the Microsoft platform. Versions for Apple machines, however, were “on several vendors’ radar” as recently as six months ago, says Celent LLC senior researcher Bob Meara.

Indeed, of all the requests for enhancements that Panini receives from the marketplace, a Mac capability tops the list, according to Willis. “Almost all of our bank partners and all of our software partners have been waiting for this with bated breath,” he says.

The new Panini devices are versions of its I:Deal and Vision X scanners configured to work with the Macintosh. They come with a native application supporting the Mac operating system, along with MICR read, franking, and rear-endorsement capability. The devices carry the same pricing as the PC versions, Willis says, adding that the I:Deal scanner, with a $299 list price, is considered best-suited to the small-business market, where many Macintosh computers are sold.

Still, Meara argues the market for the new devices could be limited. Noting the list price for the I:Deal device, he says many small businesses may prefer to use existing all-in-one copier-fax-printer machines to scan their checks. “Consumers and small businesses are not really suitable for Panini,” he says. The new devices will “work great but nobody [will want] to spend the money.”

Also, while Apple’s market share is rising, Meara notes this is an overall share of installed machines. “I don’t dispute the 11%[share], but how many middle-market and commercial desktops are running Macs?” he asks.

Still, he concedes the situation could change dramatically if financial institutions, which typically buy scanners for deployment with commercial clients, subsidize the new devices. “If banks underwrite the cost, then it’s a whole new ballgame,” he says. And the availability of a Mac scanner, he adds, can only be a positive for remote capture, a method by which businesses can image checks and send the images to their banks for deposit. “If this [Mac interface] removes another would-be barrier, I’m all for it,” he says.

How long Panini will remain the only vendor of scanners for the Macintosh is another question. Willis says he has no doubt other makers will introduce scanners for the Mac operating system, as well, but it will take some time. “It can’t be done quickly,” he says. “Mac is a different architecture.”