"I remember the first time I encountered a QR code.  It was on a shipping label, people didn't even have cameras or color screens on their dumb phones yet. QR will survive whether your pocket facebook updater uses them or not.  so no, it's not a "fad"   You say it's not technically groundbreaking.  You are right, but neither was the UPC bar code when it was finally adopted.  Now go to a retail store and try to find something without a bar code. NFC is nothing new either. RFID has been around forever.  and we used to be able to "bump" our palm pilots to trade information. None of these things are new or faddish unless you narrow the scope to fickle app users. Will QR last in the smartphone world? Maybe, if the consumer finds a perceivable benefit and takes to it, and developers are able to integrate it more seamlessly, or combine it's use to create efficiencies." - adam garrett