MS Tag is going away and we have something to say about it

Lots of big news from Redmond this week. I will save my thoughts about Steve Ballmer for a more private forum.  When news arrived in my mailbox on Monday last week that Microsoft would discontinue Microsoft Tag Support, I received instant messages from friends and colleagues. They wanted to know how it would affect E3 systems and my feelings on the subject.  In this blog post, I want everyone to know where we stand as a business and what this news means for the QR industry.

My first reaction to this was anger.  Why would Microsoft pull this service when it could be an excellent way for enterprise operations to have paper documents communicate with mobile devices?  It then occurred to me that I had written a blog on the subject almost a year ago, discussing how advertising and marketing firms were not using QR codes correctly.  Then I read the following article in the aftermath of the announcement, and anger quickly mellowed into a vinegary vintage of disappointment.

Because QR code support and MSTag are not built into phones, people do not scan tags.  Because people don’t scan tags, marketing firms, do not create suitable mobile marketing content that discourages scans and further undermines the technology.  I was hoping to use MSTag and QR codes for manufacturing and regulatory compliance purposes.  Now Microsoft was pulling the plug, and we had to find other technology or means to fill the breach.

Our reprieve was that Microsoft would not kill the service right away.  They provided a two-year window and offered the services of a third party, ScanLife, to provide hosting for QR codes and MSTag.  They even sent an e-mail and phone number to contact someone as I migrated the service.  The plot thickened when I received an e-mail from ScanLife saying they were very excited about how we used the MSTag service and would like to speak with me.  That appointment is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

I am disappointed that Microsoft is making this decision.  Looking at the trends and how the technology was misused, I understand why they made this choice.  This profoundly affects how E₃ systems Sully 2.0 and Tony Platform operate. I am also concerned that this change may affect the organization's profitability.  If necessary, we will have to do something different at this time. We are just not sure what the future holds.  We will keep you posted.

Until next time.