The use of RFID tags has starting to pick up, at least with the people I deal with. They will make barcodes obsolete in the long term, except for very low value goods. This could reduce the demand on barcode numbers.
There are readers that incorporate both RFID and BCR technology available today, and I am sure that most can get firmware updates for new symbologies and formats.
I think that higher value goods will start to incorporate RFID tags as well as barcodes very soon (maybe already happening), and as the cost of the tags reduces, they will appear on just about everything.
I'm getting off topic a bit but... The % duty/tax on fuel in the UK is huge.
Unleaded £0.73/l £3.36/ukg 3-MAY-2002 (http://www.esso.com/eaff/essouk/news_ service/prof it_prices.html): Petrol prices in the UK are high because over 75 per cent of the pump price is excise duty and VAT. This is the highest level of tax in Europe. When taxes are excluded, not only are UK petrol prices among the lowest in Europe but they are lower even than those in the USA (OPAL/IEA data).
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The use of RFID tags has starting to pick up, at least with the people I deal with. They will make barcodes obsolete in the long term, except for very low value goods. This could reduce the demand on barcode numbers.
There are readers that incorporate both RFID and BCR technology available today, and I am sure that most can get firmware updates for new symbologies and formats.
I think that higher value goods will start to incorporate RFID tags as well as barcodes very soon (maybe already happening), and as the cost of the tags reduces, they will appear on just about everything.
I'm getting off topic a bit but...
_ service/prof it_prices.html):
The % duty/tax on fuel in the UK is huge.
Unleaded £0.73/l £3.36/ukg 3-MAY-2002
(http://www.esso.com/eaff/essouk/news
Petrol prices in the UK are high because over 75 per cent of the pump price is excise duty and VAT. This is the highest level of tax in Europe. When taxes are excluded, not only are UK petrol prices among the lowest in Europe but they are lower even than those in the USA (OPAL/IEA data).
Similar situation for for Alcohol and Tobacco
Freaky; I've been listening to Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency all day today. (Anthem is the product)
I read a similar story recently regarding BT here in the UK, the solution was to report the card stolen, resulting in a new card number.