Make QR Codes Great Again or Apple’s Camera Revolution

At the recent WWDC Keynote, Craig Fiderici briefly announced native support for QR codes in iOS11. This news passed almost unnoticed. And in vain.

Under the cut, we will tell you: nostalgically about the past of the QR code, in detail about the present and, vanguay, about the near future. And about why we, people who develop products to make others laugh, are so rushed from this.

The history of the development of QR codes in 4 actions

Infancy

A QR code was born in Japan in 1994 in the TOYOTA family unit that developed barcode scanners (DENSO WAVE). Father was recorded Hara Masahiro.

At that time, customers attacked the corporation by asking them to create a barcode in which to encapsulate more data. In a year and a half, by the efforts of Hara Masahiro and just one assistant, the task was solved.

Thanks to the engineering trick of the developers - a unique pattern of position detection in the form of three squares - it was possible to achieve not only high capacity (2953 bytes), but also unprecedented reading speed in comparison with competitors.

In honor of this advantage, the baby was called QR (Quick Response).

Childhood

Significantly grow, gain weight and become the most common two-dimensional code in the world among dozens of competitors. Two factors helped the QR code:

1. DENSO WAVE made QR Code specifications publicly available: anyone could use them freely.
2. The Corporation has publicly stated that even despite the patent, they are not going to present it to anyone or apply for a license.

The technology made its first confident steps in the direction of the Japanese automakers who have implemented QR codes in the current Kanban processes. Then other industries came up that saw the benefit of using squares in their cycles.

But the first Japanese camera phones in the beginning of 2002 brought the QR code to people from the stifling production walls. QR architecture allowed trouble-free reading on the most antediluvian devices.

Puberty

The QR code is mature, and seductive and already formed iOS and Android mobile platforms loomed around. The recent smartphone revolution has enabled every homeless person to have a camera phone and start using applications. Hundreds of third-party QR code scanners immediately appeared.

The technology has gone beyond Asia, but the most widely used in this period could be obtained only and only in China. Here played a role:

• proximity to Japan;
• low literacy rate of the population: when you are not able to read, it remains only to scan the QR code and listen in simple Chinese, what they want from you;
• those who are literate were bored with hieroglyphs: all that remains is to scan the QR code and receive in simple Chinese what you want;
• support by key players: according to Wendar’s general , the majority of users of the 768 million super-messenger audience regularly scan QR codes.

Only one thing interfered with getting widespread throughout the world and finally becoming an adult QR code - you had to constantly carry with you contraceptives and protect yourself with the help of third-party scanning applications. Natural contact with smartphones was hampered by the lack of native support on iOS / Android devices.

Youth

And here the most interesting begins. From September 2017, thanks to Apple’s willful decision, the QR code will begin a new life stage. After the release of iOS11 hundreds of millions of devices around the world will be at a distance of just one swipe to:

• go to the website via the QR code;
• call by QR code;
• sending an SMS (to the specified number with the specified text) via the QR code;
• add contact by QR code;
• adding an event to the calendar by a QR code;
• sending Email (to the specified address with the specified text and subject) via the QR code;
• showing the place on the map by the QR code;
• connection to a given Wi-Fi network (without the need to enter a password) using a QR code (!!!);
• go to a specific place in App (deeplinking) by QR code (!!!).

You can see all this with your own eyes now. It is enough to download the beta version of iOS11 and use some powerful QR code generator .

Obviously, hundreds of thousands of offline businesses and online businesses that place offline advertising will begin to exploit the advantages that this short bridge between the real and the digital world gives.

Perhaps this step of the apple corporation, which Google and its hardware partners will eventually follow, will launch the era of “Camera is the New Keyboard”. We expect that by the end of this year the QR code can be called a two-dimensional code in the prime of life.

Prepare for the assault

But this is serious. And if not serious, the Apple solution creates unprecedented opportunities primarily for the FunTech industry. As long as applied businesses will calculate efficiency for a long time and to doubt, the most courageous ones - and this is usually porn and entertainment - will begin to brazenly wield a new field.

We offer to wield together :)

To begin, we invite you to a joint brainstorming in the comments to this article. Turn on the fantasy, drop the restrictions (including ethical) and offer your ideas for the explosive future of QR codes in the entertainment industry. In addition to the fan in the discussion itself, you have a chance to bring your idea to MVP, or even a full-fledged product.

This feature is available as part of the FunCubator entertainment projects accelerator launched by us. It has enough money, expertise and traffic to make a product out of an idea that will be used by millions. By the way, if the idea is already ready - and not necessarily about QR - go there directly.

In any case, be prepared for dubious encouragement from China - a technology fan country. The three commentators who will make the largest contribution to the discussion will receive a “ Low cost manual qr-code a bluetooth durable printer can print Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, etc. (QS5806) ” from Alibaba.com. You can learn more about the device, of course, by reading the QR code.

And yes, the first FunTech startup is born in Habr's comments. Amen.