QR or Quick Response codes have been popping up on more and more products everywhere you look. These small boxes filled with a pattern of black and white boxes can be used for a number of purposes including as a replacement for the ubiquitous bar code. But far more companies are turning to using them for advertising purposes than for inventory control, the purpose for which they were originally created.

The reason for this is that practically every smart phone in the world can now download an app that will let the owner scan the QR code. From here the app will then take the user to the company’s website and theoretically provide them with a wealth of information or perhaps an entry into a sweepstakes. The big question is whether these QR codes that were original created for the automotive industry are here to stay or if they are a gimmick that will soon fade into the annals of history.

We Seriously Think QR Codes Are a Gimmick

Quite honestly, we think they’re more of gimmick that will soon be relegated back to nothing more than industrial inventory control. Why do we feel this way? There are several reasons starting with fact that even with the latest app, it still takes the average smart phone a bit to read them, if the lighting is not very good it can take quite a while. Most people simply will not want to waste this kind of time. Since you have to open the app, hope that the light is good and your camera picks the image up, this can be more time consuming than many people will bother with.

Then there is the fact that no one is guaranteeing where these QR codes are going to take you once you scan them. It is quite common for them to take you to sites filled with malicious applications and a host of other nasty surprises. While you can experience similar issues with links in an email or on a website, the reality is that most of us know how to recognise a link and we have software to protect us from our own mistakes. If this is not reason enough for you to believe like us that these gimmicks will soon go the way of the VHS video tape there is more.

QR Codes Will Be Gone Soon

When you scan a QR code, you are automatically sent to the associated website, without any choice in the matter, besides not scanning the code in the first place. Who wants to take this kind of risk? Finally the vast majority of them do nothing more than take you to the manufacture’s website, all very boring and for the most part a complete waste of time.

Also worth noting is the fact that the replacement for QR codes has already been developed. Known as NFC or Near Field Communication, this system involves the use of an embedded microchip and your phone. All you do is tap your phone against the tag and the app will instantly read the information, no lag and highly secure. QR codes are already a dinosaur and we expect them to vanish long before the next ice age.