Has RFID beaten the recession?
03 August 2009
This question came directly from a report that tumbled into my inbox last week that claimed that RFID had done just that, beaten the recession.
The report came from IDTechEx, the consultancy with a specialism in the world of RFID and organisers of RFID Europe in September. It claims that the global RFID market has from $5.25bn in 2008 to a predicted $5.56bn this year and has therefore earned its place as a recession-buster.
The truth is that this is a technology that is still in its infancy (or at least ‘early school years’) in terms of adoption, and so the recession has checked growth without stopping it. Where might this sector be now in happier times?
Maybe ‘happier’ is not the right word to use. RFID is a technology that is perfect for the times we live in, where paranoia and worry are staples of our existence. We worry that the goods we buy are genuine, or that our pets return to us after they have been let out, and we are of course paranoid about anything we can’t monitor or control in case it poses a threat. One of the biggest schemes ever proposed for RFID was the government’s proposal for ID cards. I think we can assume that it was so unpopular that this government would not want to even talk about it before the next general election, and assuming they lose that then the subject will hopefully go away. A shame for the RFID industry in some ways because I was recently thinking, after my son lost his key and my daughter lost her phone, the replacement business in ID cards for teenagers would be a gold-mine of a contract for some company.
Even without the above, largely unwelcome, distraction, RFID is a technology whose time has come and as the tags get cheaper, and possibly feature more functionality, the applications will increase. If you want to find out more I am sure the IDTechEx event in Cambridge at the end of September ( www.IDTechEx.com/RFIDeurope) would be a good place to be.
Contact Details and Archive...
Most Viewed Articles...