Subscribers can access their music and video stored on iCloud from any mobile or wired computer. The wireless technology, design, and staffing in its retail stores are another exam- ple of Apple's innovations. Apple uses wireless service with which its sales associates can accept credit card payments, print receipts, and have e-mail receipts sent to cus- tomers, all through handheld devices. The handheld devices include barcode scanners to enter the purchased item and card readers to accept credit card payment. This results in customers not having to wait in line to pay for purchases, thus saving time and retail space. There are also demonstration computers, tablets, and iPods on display for customers to try out. In addition, Apple improved customer service by introducing the Genius Bar in each store. The Genius Bar is staffed by technical employees who pro- vide diagnoses of hardware and software issues for customers. The retail stores have a web-based system for customers to make appointments with the Genius Bar before coming to the Apple store, further alleviating long waits and lines. Like Amazon and Google, Apple acquired expertise for a host of its offerings by buying companies with the technologies needed for new products and services. Table 3-9 presents a partial list of acquisitions. Table 3-9 A Partial Listing of Apple's Key Acquisitions Acquired Company: Description of Purchased Organization's Year Acquired Technologies NeXT: 1997 Founded by Steve Jobs to develop user friendly, graphics- capable computers. Became the basis for Apple's Mac computers. Emagic: 2002 Software used by musicians to produce music. Used in Logic and GarageBand applications. Placebase: 2009 A replacement for Google Maps. Lala.com: 2009 A music cloud storage and streaming service. Used for iCloud and iTunes Match for music storage. Quattro Wireless: 2010 Software for mobile advertising. Siri: 2010 Developer of speech recognition software used in iPhones. IMSense: 2010 Developer of software for cameras. Used on iPhones and iPads. 