and these two posts really got me thinking :

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense....

and

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joseph_pine_on_what_consumers_want...

the first post is about enabling tech (see also www.microvision.com and what they are doing with upcoming phones for how this ties into the now)

The second - i like the concept of the quality of the consumer experience as being important (back to basics),

So is the iphone just the beginning. not a beginning of phones, but a beginning in how we integrate computers and services into the real world using on demand services + physical gestures and environment.

What would this then mean - is there going to be opportunities to extend the reach of software into almost everything we do ?

How much of what we do today with software is going to have to be changed or redeveloped ?

Is the 6th sense demo above a good example of the semantic web ? ie. not just key words but also applications and services about your current context ? is this going to need other search tech (ie. how do I know I am looking at a plane ticket , and what operations can be done around this ticket).

Will it be an app store model ? If not what model for getting the apps to the user when they need it ? Who will provide such search technology ? ie. how does the system know what it is looking at ? how do we add meaning to gestures in our context. ie. when reading a book - can we download new gesture - action maps on demand and then present them using cool ajax+ type services ?

Services that work with product vendors to develop and publish meta data for their products and then get that data into the hands of the consumer. what and how to deliver ? who to partner with ? what competitive advantage can someone get by using this tech and how best to present their brand/products and services - i think we are moving beyond just "shopping carts" now, but to the next generation. its now more than web development - is web development going to become part of every product (since the web and the real world are going to join ?).

(okay, i am on a bit of TED binge but this also ties in : http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joseph_pine_on_what_consumers_want...

- the ability to combine software with sound zones ? ie. a voice appears in you ear while looking at a product ? )

Mashups start to take on a whole bigger meaning.

What about custom apps / services that can tailor the customer experience to a users immediate context. These are some pretty exciting opportunities. And it can be done by 2-4 guys in garage - that's US (ie. the collective us) by the way.

With all the bad news we see, just thought a different view point may help.