Griffin Square Reader iPhone Case Hands-On: Merchant Aimed

When you've created a product that you'll be presenting a CES 2014 that's as simple as the Griffin case we're having a peek at today, it's not entirely easy to stand out. But with the names Square and Griffin up front, even a simple black iPhone case like this can catch your eye. What we've got here is a case that allows the Square reader accessory to be carried with the iPhone without it constantly being plugged in – a win for personal-level merchants to be sure.

This case is custom-molded and ready to work with the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s. In this case that means you're also able to work with the Touch-ID sensor on the iPhone 5s, but it also means you're going to need to work with devices only after the iPhone 4s – it's a bit bigger than all that.

You'll find this product to be the very first one to take part in Square's "Works with Square" program, a set of accessories you can easily imagine will surround the basic Square reader. Griffin's push here is a proactive case for the iPhone as well as the Square reader all at once, allowing travel protection, but also a simple set of angles to encourage simplicity in the sliding of credit cards as well.

This case will be available for a strikingly affordable $19.99 immediately if not soon – this price quite obviously coming because Square's profits depend greatly on the users of the device going out and using it. As such, the Square reader itself comes with the case for that same $19.99 USD. If you've got one already, consider it a backup.

NOTE: The full final name of this unit is the "Merchant Case + Square Reader", so you an expect that it'll be delivered with the Square reader itself for some time to come.