I know that a lot of people think so. I never understood why. A few months ago, there were lots of people claiming that the days of UPC codes (the bar codes used to identify all sorts of merchandise, read at the cash register) was counted. Why? Well, it the way into the future. Why would that be? It is future proof! So what makes it future proof? Oh, you silly old fool - any smartphone can read UPC codes, don't you see? Smartphones can't read UPC codes! That is right. A smartphone with a QR reader app but without an app to read UPC codes can read QR but not UPC. I guess there are UPC reader apps as well, to give you a smartphone that can read UPC, but maybe not QR codes (if the QR app was never installed or taken out in a spring cleaning). Usually, it isn't needed: Most UPC codes have the numerics in readable format below the bars. QR codes don't. When the reader can't read the bars, because the tag has been crimpled, torn or washed out by water, the operator may read the UPC digits and type in on a keypad (that happens regularly at my grocery store with tags wrapped around vegetables). With QR codes, you would be lost. What would be the cost of replacing UPC codes with QR? You would have to replace or update every single cash register in the Western world. You have to re-label the books in most libraries (the ISBN, International Standard Book Number, is a subset of UPC) and all the bar code readers of the library. The printers making UPC labels would have to go. The electronic price tags on the shelves that is used nowadays do not have room for a QR code to replace the UPC displayed nowadays, at least those used in Norwegian stores. And so on. It would be tremendously expensive. It might be worth it if it had some significant benefits to it, but so far, the only benefit I can see - for applications where UPC does a perfectly satisfying job - is that smartphone QR readers are far more common than smartphone UPC readers. I cannot see that justifying the expenses.