The iButton is a 16mm computer chip housed in a stainless steel can. The
iButton can be worn by a person or attached to an object for up-to-date
information at the point of use.The steel button is rugged enough to
withstand harsh outdoor environments; it is durable enough for a person to
wear everyday on a digital accessory like a ring, key fob, wallet, watch,
or badge.
This looks like a neat, low-cost identification mechanism to me. Like any
of these devices, the success is dependent on achieving a lot of initial
adoption to begin generating network effects. What I think they're missing
is a turnkey solution to add biometric information as well -- security is
provided by physical possession of the ibutton, which is no better than
today's bankcards. But, this would probably be more expensive, limiting
initial adoption...
- Jim