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AppleInsider has the first look at the upcoming EasyPay Touch checkout  system for Apple Stores. The new system–which will roll out within two weeks–utilizes iPod touchs outfitted with card readers, barcode scanners, and custom software to streamline the purchasing process at Apple stores. It will handle credit, debit, and cash payments, as well as some returns. The old system will still be relied upon for “using two or more credit/debit cards to pay for a single transaction, accepting bank or traveler’s checks, and processing returns for cash.”

The case designed for this new system resembles many other cases currently on the market, but of course there’s a whole lot more going on with this one. Easypay Touch is an upgrade from Apple’s current reliance on portable Windows CE devices (yes, I know), and looks to make handing over your hard earned cash to Apple easier than ever.

It’s about time additional options to Windows CE’s stranglehold on portable credit card charging have come about, and tying the functionality to existing widely popular predicts seems like a sure win for Apple. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey is working on something similar for the iPhone with his new startup, Square, and I suspect many others will be jumping into this pond too.