Will RFID make barcodes obsolete?

The answer is, “No.” Two biggest disadvantages of using RFID are cost and privacy. Economies of scale have still not been achieved in RFID manufacturing, making it cost ineffective for manufacturers to use RFID. Some of the applications, such as point-of-sales, will have to wait until the RFID tags become cheap enough to stick on something as basic as a pack of chewing gum. Another big concern is of privacy. A RFID implanted in running shoes could be used as a tracking device. Also imagine that the technology could allow someone to drive by your house and hold out a scanner that could read all the labels inside, revealing what kind of beverages you have in the refrigerator and where you buy your clothes from.