eCommerce and

Jeff Hirsch spoke at the OMMA Behavioral conference on Tuesday of this week in New York.  The audience took note when he proclaimed “Behavioral targeting will surpass search in online ad spend by 2020”.  This may sound implausible in a search driven industry, but check out the other proclamations that once sounded extreme and are now true:

“A day will come when we can get all of our newspapers by home computer.”

“All bills and transactions will be carried out electronically.”

These are just some of the statements you will find in the following videos.  The first, from 1969, is an overview of what life will be like with electronic consoles or computers as we like to call them today. The other is a news report from 1981 about getting news on your home computer, as the video states one person was currently already using the service!

Some favorite quotes:

“Fingertip shopping will be one of the homemaker’s conveniences.”

“What the wife selects on her console will be paid for by the husband at his counterpart console.”

“With this system we have the option of not only viewing the newspaper on the screen, but also, we can copy it, so anything we are interested in we can go back in again and copy it on to paper and save it, which I think is the future of the type of interrogation the individual will give to the newspapers.”

“Also at his disposal is an electronic correspondence machine, or home post office, which allows for instant written communication between individuals anywhere in the world.”

“It takes over two hours to receive the entire text of the newspaper over the phone, and with an hourly use charge of $5.00, the new tele-paper won’t be much competition for the $0.20 street addition.”

Flash forward to this week:

• George Simpson is discussing the downfall of print media.  He points out that “67% of surveyed respondents feel traditional journalism is out of touch with what Americans want from their news”.
• Facebook is being utilized by developer entrepreneurs to run their own businesses.  This is part of an economic shift that will require individuals to maintain an online presence.
• TechCrunch was at Microsoft’s TechFest this week and posted a video of technologies to come:

So, usually I'm the guy who is doing his best to champion the cheaper technology solution. Even though the iPhone 3G is not the cheapest cell phone solution, I was so excited that this device was worth every penny and I had to share...

So, I’ve been using my new iPhone 3G for nearly 3 weeks now…I am a believer.  

I remember when I got my first, first-generation TiVo.  I tried to explain to friends, family, and colleagues why it was so amazing and invaluable. I got the standard response; mostly, “I don’t watch that much TV.” This is a terrible reason not to get a TiVo. You watch TV so much more efficiently and the experience of watching TV goes through a paradigm shift that makes one never desire to watch TV in any other way. This is how I feel about the new iPhone 3G. Not since TiVo has a piece of technology so enriched my life and fundamentally changed the way I do stuff.

So, it’s a phone…so what?!  

True. It is a phone. However, it also breaks whatever has tethered you to your phone, phonebook, map, photo album, radio, TV, clock, flashlight, newspaper, calendar, game console, …the list goes on.

What’s more, it isn’t just that the iPhone 3G does all of this, it’s that it does it in a way that changes the way you feel about what you’ve previously experienced with each of the features and tools.  It’s not only that I have everything in one place; it’s that the experience for each of the features is usually fluid, intuitive, and frankly somewhat sexy. Also, my experience of browsing over 3G has been very positive. One of the managing partners here at Gordian Project has a first-gen iPhone and told me before I got one that browsing certain sites on the web (such as flash based sites) isn't always practical on the iPhone. I have found this to be the case when on the Edge network, which boasts an experience like dial-up. However, 3G has been more like a low-end DSL connection. I have been very impressed.

How did you justify the cost?

True, the iPhone 3G costs a bit more money than the standard phone. Similarly, TiVo costs a bit more than someone just watching regular TV. But, the additional cost of the iPhone, like TiVo, is eclipsed by its tremendous value. Here are 10 reasons that the iPhone has so much value for me:  

1. I didn’t have to buy an iPod. 
2. I didn’t have to buy a TomTom. 
3. I will save money by having SlickDeals.net notifications right at my fingertips.
4. I didn’t have to buy a Light Saber.
5. I don’t have to rush home or to the office if there is an online emergency; I can work remotely if needed.
6. I can clear unread posts in Google Reader during my commute (I usually don’t drive in my carpool).
7. I never waste time waiting in lines.
8. Gen Y’ers won’t make fun of me anymore for my antiquated brick.
9. Every time someone mentions something that sounds interesting, I don’t have to try to remember it or write it down…I can just look for that something.  
10. I quit smoking (cold turkey) the moment I got an iPhone 3G.
    

The idea to quit smoking came to me when I was trying to convince my wife that I absolutely had to have the new iPhone. The fact that the iPhone may actually save my life is what sold her.

 
I probably wouldn’t do all that stuff with it… 
 
OK. So maybe you aren’t a “power user”. However, like TiVo, I can’t think of a single profile or demographic that wouldn’t be able to use the iPhone to improve their lives. Everywhere you go, you’re fully connected. If someone could figure out Flash on iPhone’s Safari and if AT&T would allow users to make the iPhone an access point, this device would be near perfect. Of all the technology I have consumed, the iPhone 3G is easily my favorite device so far.

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