Gartner Hype Cycle Pessimistic on RFID in Short Term

Filed in archive Market Size on August 24, 2005

Gartner Inc. released a report of 44 emerging technologies and where they fare on the Gartner Hype Cycle.

It shows RFID deep in the "trough of disillusionment" stage. The Gartner chart contained in the document on their site (link below) plots out all 44 technologies on the Hype Cycle. It suggests it will be 5 to 10 years before RFID reaches the mature market stage and starts achieving its potential.

I can buy the "trough of disillusionment" part, because all the signs are there. But 5 to 10 years to achieve the plateau of potential? That seems overly pessimistic to me.

Read the Hype Cycle summary here.

More background here in "Gartner's Hype Cycle Special Report for 2005" dated August 5, 2005 by analysts Jackie Fenn and alexander Linden.

And in case you want an explanation of what a Hype Cycle is, watch the explanation video (low bandwidth; high bandwidth).