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QR codes suffer from a bunch of problems - not least of which is that it's cumbersome to read them. iPhone? Need to find/pick/install/test an app. Likewise fo
by JimmyL 15y ago
QR codes suffer from a bunch of problems - not least of which is that it's cumbersome to read them.
iPhone? Need to find/pick/install/test an app.
Likewise for Android (I think).
BlackBerry's got reader software baked-in, but you'd never find it organically (why is the easiest way to get it open through BBM's Scan a Group Barcode option?).
In the time it took to do that, a user could have just typed the URL in, and known exactly what would happen. I'm on a BlackBerry, and even though I know how to run my QR reader, it's still easier and quicker for me to just type it in manually.
Similarly, it often seems the people who design posters/ads that feature QR codes have no concept of how you'd scan them - if there's a code on a billboard that's three stories up a building, there's no way my camera will pick that up. Conversely, if the ad is a subway poster (which I'll never be more than 3ft from), you don't need a 4ft diagram.
The marketer in me (and everyone) loves them because they allow metrics down to the individual poster/magazine edition, and make it easy - in theory - to jump from something physical to something online. Actual users don't care about them, because there's no perceived increase in value or convenience over the tried-and-true-and-well-understood method of just Googling the product name.