Ambur

Web and SaaS

restaurant point of sale

SHOW HN2011

51points
62comments
#240of 1,097 in 2011
Top 22%of 2011 by points

How HN took it

RoastedHalf or more of the comments are critical

5 positive, 9 neutral or asking, 0 mixed, 18 critical, out of 32 comments about the project. Thread score -0.42.

Docs: 0 for, 7 againstExecution: 0 for, 5 againstDesign: 0 for, 4 againstIdea: 3 for, 0 againstPricing: 0 for, 2 against

The thread, comment by comment

Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.

positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker

What HN said

What people liked

  • Speed of Bonjour and Core Data syncing between devices feels magical

    From 2 comments
    • The maker's post
    • Yes, and yes! Core Data + Bonjour + KVO are absolutely magical, it's a truly distributed system, you always can see whats going on accurately.
      refulgentis on HN

Objections

  • Order entry login is too slow for busy servers

    From 1 comment
    • The app looks good, but from the video I think, wow it would take me a long time to put in an order. I was a bartender at a downtown Chicago restaurant using Aloha for more than…
      christopherslee on HN
  • Video does a poor job explaining the product

    From 2 comments
    • Some constructive criticism. The video does a really poor job selling this. Here are a few things I've learned from building software over the years. No matter what the end user…
      ihumanable on HN
    • From the FAQ: > Is there a demo video of Ambur? > Yes! Please click here to see a real demo of Ambur. There's no link anywhere near this text.
      getsat on HN
  • Requires expensive Apple hardware rather than cheaper PCs

    From 1 comment
    • By programming in iOS you are requiring companies to purchase expensive mac products to run your POS rather than inexpensive PC products. You need to go to as many restaurants in…
      wtvanhest on HN
  • Stock UIKit interface looks generic

    From 1 comment
    • I'd highly suggest paying a professional user interface designer to take a look at every screen of your app and offer suggestions and/or redesigned mockups. It looks like you're…
      flyosity on HN
  • Free pricing signals low quality

    From 1 comment
    • By programming in iOS you are requiring companies to purchase expensive mac products to run your POS rather than inexpensive PC products. You need to go to as many restaurants in…
      wtvanhest on HN

Requests

  • Integrate with Square

    From 1 comment
    • You should move the video to the home page. It took me a while to find it. You may consider having a professional voice actor narrate the video, it's not as expensive as you…
      jcnnghm on HN
  • Bundle hardware packages

    From 1 comment
    • You should move the video to the home page. It took me a while to find it. You may consider having a professional voice actor narrate the video, it's not as expensive as you…
      jcnnghm on HN
  • Simplify permissions setup

    From 1 comment
    • Some constructive criticism. The video does a really poor job selling this. Here are a few things I've learned from building software over the years. No matter what the end user…
      ihumanable on HN

Questions

  • How many restaurants have signed up?

    From 1 comment
    • This is a really cool idea! How many restaurants do you have signed up? The proof is in the pudding, so the more restaurants that use this, the more likely it is for your to work…
      Killah911 on HN
  • What happens if a server spills a drink on the device?

    From 1 comment
    • My startup is in point-of-sale as well (retail, not hospitality). I'm curious as to why you chose to go with iOS? I'm not saying it's a good or bad choice, but it definitely is…
      tbgvi on HN

Alternatives named

  • Micros POS

    From 2 comments
    • Re: expensive products. Micros charges about $3000 for a terminal, we're charging $1500 for the first one ($999 for our app + $500 iPad) and $500 (per iPad) apiece after. Not to…
      refulgentis on HN
    • 1) Fair, but to a restaurant owner who is staring at Micros package X that is $15K for a basic two terminal + a few printers set up, we look pretty darn good. 2) Not reasonably…
      refulgentis on HN
  • Aloha

    From 1 comment
    • The app looks good, but from the video I think, wow it would take me a long time to put in an order. I was a bartender at a downtown Chicago restaurant using Aloha for more than…
      christopherslee on HN
  • Square

    From 2 comments
    • You should move the video to the home page. It took me a while to find it. You may consider having a professional voice actor narrate the video, it's not as expensive as you…
      jcnnghm on HN
    • True, we'll have to see where we can fit it. You're right on the domain thing too. Square is great for what it is, but there rates are way, way, too high for restaurants and…
      refulgentis on HN

Category, keywords, summaries and labels on this page were made by AI (Thread Reader v2) and not checked by hand. Each point links to the comments it came from.

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