Apple Explores Delivering Location-based Content to Mobile Users

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2008/05/15/105435-interactive_quickOrder_1_400.jpg
Mockups by Phil Lu (http://www.genoco.com/link/interactive_quickOrder.html)

A much publicized patent application (http://www.macrumors.com/2007/12/27/buying-to-go-items-with-your-iphone/) published in December 2007 revealed that Apple had explored allowing handheld owners (such as the iPhone) to place orders from local stores. The system would, for example, allow customers to order a drink with the press of a button on their iPhone which would then notify them when their order was ready.

A new patent application (http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=apple.AS.&OS=AN/apple&RS=AN/apple) today expands that concept to different types of local content, including events, movies, concerts and could even present you with general information and reviews about local restaurants. This location-based content could also include ordering food as detailed in the previous patent application, but also movie tickets and music purchasing.

Beyond this, it appears local content could be customized, with businesses publishing content themselves to be distributed to passers by. A particularly useful example would be at an Airport where flight schedules, maps, weather, and city information could be offered. Presumably, those with a properly equipped iPhones (or other devices) would be able to access this content simply by connecting to their local Wifi network.

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/05/15/apple-explores-delivering-location-based-content-to-iphone-users/)

[wesk702]

Just as long as I don't get instant spam everytime I walk passed a Quizno's this is fine

[arn]

I think the Airport example is the most useful. But depending on if such a system could be standardized, it would be like having your own little kiosk device with you for all relevant information about your location. It would presumably mean Wifi would have to be more prevalent in local stores.

arn

[Mr Maui]

Just as long as I don't get instant spam everytime I walk passed a Quizno's this is fine

It learns your habits as you go ... ala "Click" (with Adam Sandler) ... and will start automatically ordering sandwiches at Quiznos, coffee at Starbucks, movies at Blockbuster, etc. ... even when you DON'T want it to. Perhaps it even reminds the ladies to call their mom EVERY DAY if they forget. :D

As for spam, it will start sending you customized notifications based upon your internet and purchasing habits. After, all, it goes pretty much everywhere you do.

[Aeolius]

Part of the Starbucks "experience" is the interaction and banter with the cashier and barista, as you order your drink. I don't see the automated ordering mock-up as an advantage, in this case. Now, if I could place my McDonald's order from my iPhone, without having to endure the drive-thru nightmare, it would be a plus.

[Ade-iMac-177]

This app looks so cool!!!! - i would definitely go to starbucks to use it and get free wi-fi!

[stagi]

I think this would be great, so many uses for something like this. Walking through the mall and not having to look for a map would be helpful, the airport example would be really cool.

[twoodcc]

i think this could be great, as long as i don't get it every 2 seconds when i'm at a store or walking past a store

[Abstract]

I don't really see how this new patent is any different from their old one. From my understanding of the 1st patent, it really should have covered everything in the 2nd patent, including movie tickets for nearby cinemas, local restaurant info, etc.

I guess this legally covers more ground, just in case things weren't stated explicitly enough, and someone tries to do this sort of thing with a mobile phone later in the future.


However, I see this sort of idea as being "obvious", and in the future, I can see people looking back and thinking, "Well this was another one of those obvious patents just handed out to the first company that bothered to apply for it." It's not a great idea. It's more of a natural progression of technology and its application.

Part of the Starbucks "experience" is the interaction and banter with the cashier and barista, as you order your drink.

I never saw Starbucks as being that homely, but OK.

My local coffee guy has a coffee stall outdoors. Best coffee on my campus, which isn't saying much.

[boss1]

I agree with the evolution of this type of technology. Interactive mobile devices that communicate your personal choices, preferences, and financial transaction etc to the places you physically visit.

Fine. another side of me however tells me that this is a dual edge blade. It takes away from part of the social experience of going out. To some degree I could understand some people would rather not deal with real people and customer service. On the other hand for many this is an integral part of the social experience.


Now i'm not crying that the sky is falling nor am i anti tech. Im just saying. We no longer need to talk to people if you text your day away and now you no longer talk to people you meet if they just hand you your bags when you walk in and out of the stores etc.

We're slowly turning into our digital selves and are become nothing more than a username and text that follows lol.

It gets worst. In the next decade when the majority frequent such devices, then people who actually talk to people become the minority which means: Talking to people becomes out dated and if you approach the desk in any venue you get looked at by the public as either outdated, someone who doesn't have what everyone else has, or socially desperate. Sad future incoming imo.

[macintel4me]

Man, does that app look beautiful. Forget functionality, it just looks gorgeous!!

[gkarris]

I think the Airport example is the most useful. But depending on if such a system could be standardized, it would be like having your own little kiosk device with you for all relevant information about your location. It would presumably mean Wifi would have to be more prevalent in local stores.

arn

A project for Boeing or the FAA?

The local airport I fly out of now has free WiFi. It would neat to launch the app and before starting up the plane getting the ATIS and NOTAMs in addition to weather radar and traffic.

These iPhones are getting cooler by the minute...

[mr_matalino]

My children will someday ask me in the future, "Daddy, why did people stand in line to order".

This will be the future of purchasing.

[Aeolius]

I never saw Starbucks as being that homely, but OK.

The other weekend, a store named "10,000 Villages" had a weekend festival. Starbucks is in the same plaza. As I was unloading my kids, Lauren, the barista, brought my coffee out to my car for me. Top that. ;)

[grappler]

If anyone is interested in a mobile service that lets you connect with people near you (home, work or otherwise), or people that are (or have been) at the same place as you, I've got some extra invitations for BrightKite. They have a good Safari iPhone app already, and an native one for when that becomes possible.

If you're interested let me know. They're in private-invite beta right now.

[Aeolius]

How about some games that let iPhone users on the same WiFi network play in an interactive environment? I could see Trivia, WoW, and GarageBand being interesting uses, here.

[notjustjay]

This is a neat counterpoint to the Microsoft surface/table demo they showed some months ago. Remember they demo'd being able to order things by typing things onto the table? Here's an even better approach, because the device is much cheaper and personalized to what you want. One device for many possible vendors, versus the table approach where each vendor would have to have its own.

I see this as being great for the mass-market stuff, like Starbucks, McDonald's, etc. There's something to be said for face to face interaction, though. I have a group of friends that eat breakfast almost every Saturday morning at the same local diner. The waitress knows us all by name, knows all of our order preferences by heart, so we either say "the usual, please", or sometimes nothing at all -- she'll just put the order in. There's something nice about having a "usual" :)

[Doctor Q]

Don't mobile phone users in Japan already do this kind of thing?

[MikeDTyke]

Rather than the irritating image of popup adverts on your phone which is what i think people are invisaging. I prefer to think of it as geotagged webpages, so that when you are in the area, there's either a 'local' app or browser mode that shows websites for companies, services and perhaps local offers.

Taking that to the airport example, rather than opening google and doing a search for the airport's website, you'd hit the local button and the airport's webpage would be top of the list.

For companies wanting to offer services like the starbucks ordering system, they'd just implement a webapp suited to the iphone screen. Your GPS location would determine which starbucks it needs communicate with over 3G or if they offer wifi as starbucks does then it might be cool for the iphone to auto connect to the local wifi network to provide the best experience when accessing the service. ie. along with the location search listing of local websites it also details the local wifi network associated with each site.

M.

[deputy_doofy]

This is cool. Every place that sets up immediately becomes an online store when you're near its Wi-Fi signal. I wouldn't mind walking through a mall and checking stuff out via the iPhone (and avoiding the ever-present-nagging sales people).

[wstohner]

Part of the Starbucks "experience" is the interaction and banter with the cashier and barista, as you order your drink. I don't see the automated ordering mock-up as an advantage, in this case. Now, if I could place my McDonald's order from my iPhone, without having to endure the drive-thru nightmare, it would be a plus.

That banter is my least favorite part of my starbucks experience. I'm not overpaying for my coffee so that I have to pretend like I care what kind of day someone is having. I love this idea!

[Aeolius]

That banter is my least favorite part of my starbucks experience. I'm not overpaying for my coffee so that I have to pretend like I care what kind of day someone is having. I love this idea!

Then get your coffee at McDonald's, where they truly don't give a darn. ;)

[tjcampbell]

It'd be great for movie tickets. I'd use that for sure.

[krye]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

......Beyond this, it appears local content could be customized, with businesses publishing content themselves to be distributed to passers by.

Great, let the iPhone spam begin. It's bad enough being hounded by that guy at the mall trying to give you Japanese food samples, now I'll get a pop up on my iPhone? Or the next time I pass Best Buy, they'll tell me all about some stupid promo going on?

[Aeolius]

Speaking of not caring what kind of day someone is having, here's another useful pop-up idea.

Whenever you see someone parked illegally in the handicap-designated zone (including the striped loading zone), you should have an icon for instantly notifying the local police and writing a citizen's report to get the offending idiot ticketed. I would use that app a dozen times a day.

[AlphaAnt]

Then get your coffee at McDonald's, where they truly don't give a darn. ;)

I find the same amount of apathy at Starbucks in my area, but YMMV.

[kresh]

Part of the Starbucks "experience" is the interaction and banter with the cashier and barista, as you order your drink. I don't see the automated ordering mock-up as an advantage, in this case. Now, if I could place my McDonald's order from my iPhone, without having to endure the drive-thru nightmare, it would be a plus.

You nailed it. How in the world are you going to tell your Barista that you want a 17 second expresso today instead of the 22 second expresso you had yesterday.

I mean this is coffee, not some cheap steak at Waffle House!

[bytethese]

I think the Airport example is the most useful. But depending on if such a system could be standardized, it would be like having your own little kiosk device with you for all relevant information about your location. It would presumably mean Wifi would have to be more prevalent in local stores.

arn

Building on this, I would love to see this at sporting events for example. Perhaps I am in my seats and I want to order some food. I'd fire up my iPhone, place my order and when it's ready, get up and go get it rather than wait 20min in line at Yankee Stadium. :)

[drb6]

Man, does that app look beautiful. Forget functionality, it just looks gorgeous!!

Absolutely, thats the first thing I thought too. This makes me more excited for the SDK apps than anything, what wonders are coming our way. Just the next few years as an iPhone 2 owner are going to be fantastic.

[Aeolius]

I find the same amount of apathy at Starbucks in my area, but YMMV.

A fair assessment.

[deputy_doofy]

Appleinsider also touches on this article. It also mentioned places like the Zoo. When I was a child, the (Philadelphia) Zoo had little boxes outside of every animal "habitat." You could then use your little, red, plastic, elephant key to activate the box. A voice - you know, the deep, male voice used in all 1970's and 1980's school films :p - would start talking to explain about the animal.

Fast forward to 2008. Press a button on my iPhone and a voice starts streaming to (and from) my phone. Heck, for the fun of it, they can sample the old recordings. :D

I love this idea (in general, not just the zoo).

[Penguinwrangler]

This kind of advertising/vendor functionality is where all of our "interconnectivity" is headed. In other words, The Future is NOW!

[Borjan]

Who says that it has to be spam that pops up on your iPhone?

Probably there would be an icon (maybe that changes to show that local content is available) that you click, and then opens up a list of options.

Its not going to be like minority report! ;)

[Aeolius]

Press a button on my iPhone and a voice starts streaming to (and from) my phone. Heck, for the fun of it, they can sample the old recordings. :D

How about a trip to the movies? A theater could provide closed-captioning for hearing-impaired iPhone users, automated ordering for concessions, and an on-screen reminder to turn your darned ring tones off. ;)

[JohnMcKee]

Since the current iPhone's chipset already supports A-GPS I wonder what the chances are of getting GPS functionality on them. Would they need a special antenna or something that they don't have.

[AlphaAnt]

Since the current iPhone's chipset already supports A-GPS I wonder what the chances are of getting GPS functionality on them. Would they need a special antenna or something that they don't have.

They would need an actual GPS antenna. Current iPhones will not be able to get that capability with a software update.

[jcrawford]

This would be nice however speaking of the airports, how many people actually pay the $7.95+ per day fee's that they charge to access the wifi networks? I have also noticed that this fee is for that single airport and not all airports. I have noticed this just going to Boston, Newark, Baltimore.

Why would I pay that much to access content that honestly should be free. Why should they charge you for WiFi when you are paying insane amounts for the airfare and hell $5.75 for a bottle of beer when your flight is delayed.

[jcrawford]

How about the ability to use your iphone at theme parks / restraunts where you can get the fastpass, or that little buzzer that tells you that your seats are ready :)

[Mr Maui]

Speaking of not caring what kind of day someone is having, here's another useful pop-up idea.

Whenever you see someone parked illegally in the handicap-designated zone (including the striped loading zone), you should have an icon for instantly notifying the local police and writing a citizen's report to get the offending idiot ticketed. I would use that app a dozen times a day.

Cops will be using them with expired meters to write tickets. Meter notifies cop when it is expired and has a car in the spot and the cop walks or drives by. Cop will snap image with his iPhone along with the offending meter violation and auto plate. These images are wireless trasmitted to a portable printer he carries (like many meter-maids do already) and these will show up in photo form on the ticket they print out and leave on the car. No grounds for dispute anymore. LOL

[Aeolius]

How about the ability to use your iphone at theme parks / restraunts where you can get the fastpass, or that little buzzer that tells you that your seats are ready :)

And to warn you that a parade is about to block you in for an hour. Pal Mickey eat your heart out. ;)

[SPG]

Why should they charge you for WiFi when you are paying insane amounts for the airfare and hell $5.75 for a bottle of beer when your flight is delayed.

You just answered your own question...because they can.

[rek2005]

Part of the Starbucks "experience" is the interaction and banter with the cashier and barista, as you order your drink. I don't see the automated ordering mock-up as an advantage, in this case. Now, if I could place my McDonald's order from my iPhone, without having to endure the drive-thru nightmare, it would be a plus.

You're kidding, right? Starbucks is a place to get coffee and socialize with your peers, not the server. My orders have never consisted of anything more than me telling the cashier what I want and a thank you. I'm a friendly person also, but I don't go there to carry on a conversation with the cashier. This would also prevent one from having to stand in line. You would still have to wait, but at least you could go ahead and sit down.

[SPG]

Don't mobile phone users in Japan already do this kind of thing?

Yep. You can use your phone as a sort of credit card in some places with the purchase billed to your phone bill.
The other example I saw a few years ago was Tsutaya, roughly Blockbuster in Japan, would allow you to sign up for a service that would give you discounts on certain movies sent to your phone as a text. The cool part was that it would check your viewing history and the store stock in your neighborhood and hit you with the discount when you're commuting home. They would time it so that it was just soon enough to be a good impulse purchase, and not too soon to be forgotten on the way home. A good database and use of the phone location tracking system. Not sure if this was ever widely implemented or not, but it seemed like a good plan. Opt in, so it's not spam, targeted to your tastes, and well timed.

[Aeolius]

You're kidding, right? Starbucks is a place to get coffee and socialize with your peers, not the server. My orders have never consisted of anything more than me telling the cashier what I want and a thank you. I'm a friendly person also, but I don't go there to carry on a conversation with the cashier. This would also prevent one from having to stand in line. You would still have to wait, but at least you could go ahead and sit down.

As someone said earlier; YMMV. I never actually sit down, at Starbucks. I always get my order to go. When I walk in the store, the barista usually writes my order on the cups and puts them in the queue, before I even get to the line. But then again I am a creature of habit and anti-social by nature.

[megfilmworks]

A project for Boeing or the FAA?

The local airport I fly out of now has free WiFi. It would neat to launch the app and before starting up the plane getting the ATIS and NOTAMs in addition to weather radar and traffic.

These iPhones are getting cooler by the minute...I agree, or you could just buy a GARMIN G1000 equipped aircraft.:)

[RodThePlod]

How about the ability to use your iphone at theme parks / restraunts where you can get the fastpass, or that little buzzer that tells you that your seats are ready :)

Hey - check out my iPhone/iPod web app at www.iviewr.com

Great for if your visiting those theme parks or other events ;)

BTW - I'm currently putting together a feature-packed guide for next months WWDC so if you're attending, you may find it useful.

Cheers!

Rod.

[nomad01]

You nailed it. How in the world are you going to tell your Barista that you want a 17 second expresso today instead of the 22 second expresso you had yesterday.

I mean this is coffee, not some cheap steak at Waffle House!

Are you kidding? I'd be amazed if some of the "baristas" at my local Starbucks could even count to 17! The art of coffee making is lost on most of them.

[sassenach74]

This is almost identical to a wannabe's 'invention' on Dragons Den not so long ago......all the Dragons said 'I'm out'.

The reason they all backed out was:

1.It won't make money
2.It takes away the human element
3.It cannot be patented, and therefore anybody can do it, and will do it, leading to a horrible mess.
4.As for restaurants, people tend to know what kind of food they want to eat that day, and wouldn't browse pages of reviews/menus to decide what they want.

[SPG]

Are you kidding? I'd be amazed if some of the "baristas" at my local Starbucks could even count to 17! The art of coffee making is lost on most of them.

That's the nice thing about living in Seattle, people who really appreciate coffee know that you don't go to starbucks to get it. There are so many great coffee shops here that you can't go a block in a lot of neighborhoods without coming across a good independent coffee shop.
The downside is that after enough years in Seattle you become a coffee snob and have to complain as soon as you go a few miles out of Seattle and can't find a good coffee.

[DaBrain]

Speaking of not caring what kind of day someone is having, here's another useful pop-up idea.

Whenever you see someone parked illegally in the handicap-designated zone (including the striped loading zone), you should have an icon for instantly notifying the local police and writing a citizen's report to get the offending idiot ticketed. I would use that app a dozen times a day.

Yippie we can now have a snitch button on our iPhone! :rolleyes:

[nomad01]

That's the nice thing about living in Seattle, people who really appreciate coffee know that you don't go to starbucks to get it. There are so many great coffee shops here that you can't go a block in a lot of neighborhoods without coming across a good independent coffee shop.
The downside is that after enough years in Seattle you become a coffee snob and have to complain as soon as you go a few miles out of Seattle and can't find a good coffee.

Seems I need to visit this "Seattle" that you talk of. ;)

Last truly excellent coffee I had was in Italy and everywhere just seems to make it perfectly... even the slack-jawed school kid with a Saturday job at the airport bar managed an amazing cappuccino.

Totally hit and miss over here.

[Aeolius]

Yippie we can now have a snitch button on our iPhone! :rolleyes:

More often than not I need those spaces, as I have 2 kids with special needs. Those who park there illegally, even if "only for a minute" (including moped riders who chain their bikes to the sign in the striped zone) should have their licenses revoked.

[Gasu E.]

I look forward to the day when there will be no need for me to leave my cocoon, and any food or other stimulus I desire will be delivered automatically, at my merest thought, by tube directly to my mouth or other appropriate area of stimulus.

[EagerDragon]

Hope they do not use this to deliver commercials.
Let me ask for restaurants in the area and ask for their menu, don't push them to me while I am driving.

I think the Airport example is the most useful. But depending on if such a system could be standardized, it would be like having your own little kiosk device with you for all relevant information about your location. It would presumably mean Wifi would have to be more prevalent in local stores.

arn

Preferably free wifi.

[abrooks]

Isn't this "location aware" technology already widely used in Starbucks where the iTunes Store identifies which music is playing in that particular location?

[Aeolius]

I look forward to the day when there will be no need for me to leave my cocoon, and any food or other stimulus I desire will be delivered automatically, at my merest thought, by tube directly to my mouth or other appropriate area of stimulus.

And Apple will help you, on your way: Home Automation (http://web.mac.com/aeolius/house/ECU.html)

As for food, I do order groceries online. I drive to the store, open the car, and they put the food in for me. With 6 kids, it's a great time-saver. :)

[c-Row]

Yippie we can now have a snitch button on our iPhone! :rolleyes:

You know, there would be no snitch if everybody else would just read and follow the signs.

[ellsworth]

Cool app... I just think it's for the "SPECIAL" lazies out there. Stand IN line and Interact with the world you closet freak! Thank you

[EagerDragon]

This would be nice however speaking of the airports, how many people actually pay the $7.95+ per day fee's that they charge to access the wifi networks? I have also noticed that this fee is for that single airport and not all airports. I have noticed this just going to Boston, Newark, Baltimore.

Why would I pay that much to access content that honestly should be free. Why should they charge you for WiFi when you are paying insane amounts for the airfare and hell $5.75 for a bottle of beer when your flight is delayed.

Well if it is an AT&T hot spot, if would be free, assuming it is not AT&T then if you want to use it it would not be free.

However for a service like the one on the patent, that is likely to run on a separate network that locks you to the store and does not provide you full Internet access (unless they want you to). An app in your phone may or may not get access to the full Internet in order to implement this service. Kinda like what they did with StarBucks for iTunes a while ago.

In general, the airlines and the airport are different things, just like the mall operator and the stores in the mall. Airports make moneys from fees they charge the Airline and maybe you for parking, but the majority of the ticket goes to the Airline. A 1000 dollar trip puts very little in the Airport hands as the money the Airport gets is not tied to the cost of a ticket by a particular AirLine. Yes, there maybe some percentage going to them in some cases. Airlines rip you off on their own.

[MarceePauff]

I look forward to the day when there will be no need for me to leave my cocoon, and any food or other stimulus I desire will be delivered automatically, at my merest thought, by tube directly to my mouth or other appropriate area of stimulus.

My day is now brighter. Thank you. :)

[EagerDragon]

If they implement the 3G, full Garmin style GPS, the new version 2 software, and he camera in the front for iChats, along with a score of new apps at the app store, these phones are going to fly off the freaking shelf so fast that is going to make Steve's head spin!!!!!!!

Not even Apple will be ready for the number of units they will need to build.

[SirOmega]

Who says that it has to be spam that pops up on your iPhone?

Probably there would be an icon (maybe that changes to show that local content is available) that you click, and then opens up a list of options.

Its not going to be like minority report! ;)

I agree, furthermore, the most user-friendly way this would work would be for the icon to show up on the springboard when its available. Think of it as advanced location services - if you're within WiFi range of a place, their icon could be placed on the springboard, and when you walk out of range it disappears.

So when you walk in a starbucks or McD's the icon appears, you can place your order and when its ready you go pick it up. Yeah! I don't have to deal with people! (I'm aware I'm antisocial, I like talking to people as little as possible)

Likewise, with the airport, once you walk in and are in wifi range, the icon appears and you can check flight times, schedules, etc. The app (web or sdk) would download automatically to the phone and run when you tap the icon.

[D4F]

New era of spam begins.

[saminsocks]

This would be a lot more useful to me if it didn't just rely on proximity. If I want to order a takeout meal from a restaurant, by the time I'm in range of their Wi-Fi I'm close enough to go in. For it to be a real benefit I would want to be able to order so that it's ready when I get there. I don't mind human interaction, I just don't like waiting.

The only time I've ever carried on conversations with the people in Starbucks was when it was across the street from my job, and some of them interned for me, so I hung out with them and their co-workers outside of Starbucks, too. Otherwise, I may have had small talk about the weather, but even that happens rarely, even with the nicest of barristas.

[SkippyThorson]

Then get your coffee at McDonald's, where they truly don't give a darn. ;)

Actually, I like McDonald's Iced Coffee. :) Amen to not giving a hoot who gets what when - the American way!

Whenever you see someone parked illegally in the handicap-designated zone (including the striped loading zone), you should have an icon for instantly notifying the local police and writing a citizen's report to get the offending idiot ticketed. I would use that app a dozen times a day.

I'm with you, I would drive around all day long just so I could bust 20-somethings parking their Civics in the handicapped spaces.

[ntrigue]

Part of the Starbucks "experience" is the interaction and banter with the cashier and barista, as you order your drink. I don't see the automated ordering mock-up as an advantage, in this case. Now, if I could place my McDonald's order from my iPhone, without having to endure the drive-thru nightmare, it would be a plus.

This would work brilliantly at a drive-thru SBUX.

"How may I help you?"

"I'm going to scan my iPhone."

"Great! Go ahead...Ok. I've got one Venti - Triple Shot - One pump caramel - one pump sugar-free vanilla over ice shaken not stirred. Your iTMS Account will be charged $4.35"

Prompted on screen using IntelliScreen to pay using iTMS or Cash.

[kornyboy]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

This is really cool not to mention fun. Bring it on!

[esaleris]

As someone who works with the Media Agency world, this is such a boon to mobile-based marketing. The fact that it works so well integrated with a mobile platform allows companies supporting our marketing campaigns with much more defined contact points for our consumers.

Big, fat thumbs up.

[hhaeschen]

Appleinsider also touches on this article. It also mentioned places like the Zoo. When I was a child, the (Philadelphia) Zoo had little boxes outside of every animal "habitat." You could then use your little, red, plastic, elephant key to activate the box. A voice - you know, the deep, male voice used in all 1970's and 1980's school films :p - would start talking to explain about the animal.

Fast forward to 2008. Press a button on my iPhone and a voice starts streaming to (and from) my phone. Heck, for the fun of it, they can sample the old recordings. :D

I love this idea (in general, not just the zoo).

Oh great! So future kids will get iPhones for Xmas at school enrollment age? Damn, why must I be a kid of the 80s?? :p

[BJMRamage]

Similar to a thought I had with in car Navigation units when you go by a RestStop/Service Area, they would ask if you want information about the area...resturants, amusement parks, updated maps, etc. basically they would beam to your car. even offering deals to go to places.

I think this is a great idea...though a way theives might be able to gather info about you...not like they can't already though.

[macflurry]

Actually, I like McDonald's Iced Coffee. :) Amen to not giving a hoot who gets what when - the American way!



I'm with you, I would drive around all day long just so I could bust 20-somethings parking their Civics in the handicapped spaces.

20 somethings? Doesn't Steve Jobs himself park in handicap spots?

[imwoblin]

:eek:

[imwoblin]

Gawd.... I wish AAPL would release a software update or give us a tease.. I'm starting to get the shakes with all these rumors. :p

[jlanuez]

It learns your habits as you go ... ala "Click" (with Adam Sandler) ... and will start automatically ordering sandwiches at Quiznos, coffee at Starbucks, movies at Blockbuster, etc. ... even when you DON'T want it to. Perhaps it even reminds the ladies to call their mom EVERY DAY if they forget. :D

As for spam, it will start sending you customized notifications based upon your internet and purchasing habits. After, all, it goes pretty much everywhere you do.


YUCK!!! Who would ever want to eat at a Quiznos?
The day my iPhone displays a Quiznos menu is the day I buy a BlackBerry!

[TonyHoyle]

Something like it (but less sophisticated) has been done with bluetooth for ages - you walk past a bar and your phone gets a connection with a bluetooth message advertising the bar. It's surprisingly effective, since so many people don't switch discovery off on their phones.

For something like this to be viable for most stores it would require iphone usage to be reasonably high - the maybe 3 people a day who even have smartphones let alone iphones isn't going to be enough to invest in technology like this (indeed it's effectiing wifi itself, which few people prepared to pay the rates to make in-store wifi viable (about £5 ($10) per hour here) the stores are simply not repairing it as it breaks).

Of course if apple are going to put wifi on the entire ipod range.. give it a couple of years and the whole scene could change. Then you'd see all sorts of things like this.

[kjs862]

"I'd like to order 4,000 lattes to go." :D

[Mr Maui]

YUCK!!! Who would ever want to eat at a Quiznos?
The day my iPhone displays a Quiznos menu is the day I buy a BlackBerry!

Maybe you should have read the post my statement was responding to. Besides, some people like Quiznos. Maybe Steve Jobs shouldn't create new stuff at Apple unless EVERYONE approves, including you.

Personally, I encourage you to buy a Blackberry if you don't approve of what the iPhone may have the capability of doing in the future.

[decimortis]

This would be a lot more useful to me if it didn't just rely on proximity. If I want to order a takeout meal from a restaurant, by the time I'm in range of their Wi-Fi I'm close enough to go in. For it to be a real benefit I would want to be able to order so that it's ready when I get there. I don't mind human interaction, I just don't like waiting.

You can do that now with the "phone" part of the iPhone. ;)

[fastbite]

¡Cocina! ¡Uno con leche! -- ¡Marchando!

[JMax1]

uhhh.... iPhone induced agoraphobia?
:)

[mickhyperion]

I don't see the advantage of using this at a Starbucks or other quick serve establishment.

If I've ordered my drink ahead of time, does that mean it's sitting and waiting for me when I get there? How long has it been sitting? Is it now luke warm or watery from the ice melting? This is the equivalent of a burger under a heat lamp.

Do I have to stand in a line of other phone orderers now to wait for my name to be called? What happens when a majority of people are ordering their drinks this way? How long will the line be? Would it now be quicker to get in the normal line and avoid the phone orderers' line?

What happens if I'm 20 minutes late? Am I entitled to have my drink remade at Starbucks' expense because of my tardiness? This doesn't seem fair to Starbucks. How long will I be waiting for that?

What if I order the drink and have paid for it, but never arrive to pick it up? Am I entitled to a refund at Starbucks' expense, wasting both their time and the cost of the drink?

[hugodrax]

I agree with the evolution of this type of technology. Interactive mobile devices that communicate your personal choices, preferences, and financial transaction etc to the places you physically visit.

Fine. another side of me however tells me that this is a dual edge blade. It takes away from part of the social experience of going out. To some degree I could understand some people would rather not deal with real people and customer service. On the other hand for many this is an integral part of the social experience.




People are becoming that way more and more everyday. I mean you see people walking with heads down typing into blackberries, people eating dinner but not talking to each other instead they are texting. Glad I am not a
teenager or a young adult in this era. What an antisocial era.

[ajhill]

With 3G and all the other possibilities (Such as Starbucks) Apple's iPhone will soon own the smartphone market. Rimm will be a close second, but the iPhone is vastly superior in processing power and Software developer potential.

No one else is even close to offering what Apple will have with the rumored 3G, dual camera, GPS iPhone 2.0.

Not to mention the huge market share gains that the Mac will get from iPhone users jumping ship from Vista to MacOS.

And no one even talks about the percentage that Apple gets from each AT&T user's monthly iPhone bill.

The future looks very bright for iPhone and Mac users. Finally we get to stop making excuses for why we use Apple...

[happydude]

I think the Airport example is the most useful. But depending on if such a system could be standardized, it would be like having your own little kiosk device with you for all relevant information about your location. It would presumably mean Wifi would have to be more prevalent in local stores.

arn

airports would have to change their pay-for internet system most airports have before this would take off in those locatios

[sassenach74]

With 3G and all the other possibilities (Such as Starbucks) Apple's iPhone will soon own the smartphone market. Rimm will be a close second, but the iPhone is vastly superior in processing power and Software developer potential. Not within a year

No one else is even close to offering what Apple will have with the rumored 3G, dual camera, GPS iPhone 2.0. Don't believe that

Not to mention the huge market share gains that the Mac will get from iPhone users jumping ship from Vista to MacOS. Believe there will be some gain (me for one)

And no one even talks about the percentage that Apple gets from each AT&T user's monthly iPhone bill. Obviously money in the bank for Apple

The future looks very bright for iPhone and Mac users. Finally we get to stop making excuses for why we use Apple... Indeed it does look bright, not sure why you would need to make excuses though?

[eyemacg5]

<b>Part of the Starbucks "experience" is the interaction and banter with the cashier and barista, as you order your drink.</b> I don't see the automated ordering mock-up as an advantage, in this case. Now, if I could place my McDonald's order from my iPhone, without having to endure the drive-thru nightmare, it would be a plus.

I know exactly what you mean. Now if we could use the camera to scan barcodes, at places like Ikea that would be good, I hate queuing at ikea.

[LiveForever]

Being able to buy and pay for your purchase on a phone is the future. You won't have to carry money anymore and as an incentive say the coffee would be discounted if you choose iphone to pay. It could replace a visa card long term. And will be more secure as it could have camera face recognition plus a pin for transactions,

Doesn't have to be position dependent either but that will be an added bonus

This will be huge

[MattInOz]

However, I see this sort of idea as being "obvious", and in the future, I can see people looking back and thinking, "Well this was another one of those obvious patents just handed out to the first company that bothered to apply for it." It's not a great idea. It's more of a natural progression of technology and its application.


I was looking at something a bit similar to this as a iPhone App so yeah i think a lot of people have had the idea at some stage. I can't honestly say i had it well enough before the 13nov2066 to get the patent written and submitted to be able to beat Apple to this one.

[hhaeschen]

With 3G and all the other possibilities (Such as Starbucks) Apple's iPhone will soon own the smartphone market. Rimm will be a close second, but the iPhone is vastly superior in processing power and Software developer potential.

No one else is even close to offering what Apple will have with the rumored 3G, dual camera, GPS iPhone 2.0.


I tend to disagree. HTC is a competitor which acts extremely quickly. They don't offer breakthrough developments but their copier machine is faster than the speed of light. They are able to produce great design too, plus their devices are much cheaper than the iPhone and unlocked. Windows Mobile may not be the OS of my choice but it is very flexible and powerful.

So I think, we'll see a development similar to Mac/PC. The iPhone will be a premium product which always is one step ahead of the others. But the masses will buy other devices because they're cheaper and a couple months behind the iPhone they will implement the newest developments.

Then, very likely, Google will enter the market as well with their own OS (which will be offered for free). We all know that Google has great developers as well.

So, Apple better be quick and creative!

[bgoudelo]

Are you kidding? I'd be amazed if some of the "baristas" at my local Starbucks could even count to 17! The art of coffee making is lost on most of them.

Maybe some baristas don't give a crap but I can tell you that's not how they all are. I've worked at Starbucks for 5 years and I still care and give my customers a quality beverage every time.

P.S. - Not trying to start an argument but someone has to stick up for us baristas! :-)

[macaron1]

What if I am at a Starbucks at an airport?

I think the idea is not that you will NOT need to log in to any local wi-fi.

Just based on your location info, the phone updates a live feed of available local services, displaying them to you in some unobtrusive way. Sort of like an RSS feed.

Wondering if that means the phone needs to ping back every so often to update location info and/or feeds? Isn't that supposed to drain the battery?

This is cool. Every place that sets up immediately becomes an online store when you're near its Wi-Fi signal. I wouldn't mind walking through a mall and checking stuff out via the iPhone (and avoiding the ever-present-nagging sales people).

[jons]

Just as long as I don't get instant spam everytime I walk passed a Quizno's this is fine

+1 on that.

[smarttiki]

Let me just start off by saying I really love using Apple hardware and have for years. But...

...doesn't this make you sick to your stomach if you are a developer. To me this seems like a BIG reach for Apple to say we are taking control of how any mobile device can seamless interact with other wireless devices. This is not just an iPhone thing. With just a quick read of the patent application it would seem that Apple is attempting to reinvent the wheel or should I say patent it.

Patent Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for personal media devices having the ability to communicate wirelessly, and in particular, communicate wirelessly using a short-range communications protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). Such communication provides users of personal media devices with access to several Wi-Fi oriented applications. For example, in one embodiment a personal media device may wirelessly download subscription assets (e.g., podcast) as they become available. In another embodiment, content specific or local to a merchant may be provided to personal media devices that are in wireless communication with a wireless router affiliated with the merchant. For example, if the merchant is a restaurant, the merchant may provide a menu to the personal media device and the user may place an order on his or her media device by selecting items on the menu.

When the smoke clears and you get rid of all the legal speak is this not just location bases web serving triggered via gps, router or rf tagging??? Has this not been going on for awhile. Please tell me I am not the only person out there that has/is worked/working on projects such as this.

Furthermore does this mean that developers will need to start paying royalties to Apple every time another project is developed that does the exact same thing or worse yet every time a transaction is made.


Just my two cents...

[t0mat0]

Appleinsider also touches on this article. It also mentioned places like the Zoo. When I was a child, the (Philadelphia) Zoo had little boxes outside of every animal "habitat." You could then use your little, red, plastic, elephant key to activate the box. A voice - you know, the deep, male voice used in all 1970's and 1980's school films :p - would start talking to explain about the animal.

Fast forward to 2008. Press a button on my iPhone and a voice starts streaming to (and from) my phone. Heck, for the fun of it, they can sample the old recordings. :D

I love this idea (in general, not just the zoo).

People have already done audio podcasts to give alternative views on libraries and museums etc. This would make it a lot more interactive.

[brogers]

You're kidding, right? Starbucks is a place to get coffee and socialize with your peers, not the server. My orders have never consisted of anything more than me telling the cashier what I want and a thank you. I'm a friendly person also, but I don't go there to carry on a conversation with the cashier. This would also prevent one from having to stand in line. You would still have to wait, but at least you could go ahead and sit down.

No I disagree. Someone pointed out earlier that human interaction could be at peril with the rise of technology. At my Starbucks I regularly communicate with the manager and his staff. They know me and we interact as humans because I don't see them as the cashier. That's the sad part about all this. I see kids sitting at tables with their parents and the whole time they are either texting or playing video games. That's not my idea of time with the family. I love technology as much as anyone and I think there are great applications to this but the other day when I had a problem with my bank, I had to go into the actual building and speak to a "customer service representative" who solved my issue. Automated voice prompts and my banks online web site could not solve it.

However, I do love my online banking :D

[Hummer]

That banter is my least favorite part of my starbucks experience. I'm not overpaying for my coffee so that I have to pretend like I care what kind of day someone is having. I love this idea!

Hey hey, trust me. You can tell when one of us are pretending. 75% of us are genuine. I love the regulars who come into my store. I wish I didn't have to charge them.

[zync]

That's the nice thing about living in Seattle, people who really appreciate coffee know that you don't go to starbucks to get it. There are so many great coffee shops here that you can't go a block in a lot of neighborhoods without coming across a good independent coffee shop.
The downside is that after enough years in Seattle you become a coffee snob and have to complain as soon as you go a few miles out of Seattle and can't find a good coffee.

How did it get so big there then? You don't have to live in Seattle to know that their coffee sucks. They even admit to burning it. It smells horrible in Starbucks too, like they're killing the beans.

Many of you guys (not talking about you SPG, you restored my faith in Seattle) are all competing about how friendly your "barista" is. You must have never been to a real coffee shop, ones that appreciate your business, and don't call their employees "baristas." Maybe I'm spoiled too. I can get café con leche in the morning if I want it, but then again I live in Tampa and work in Ybor City. Unfortunately I don't really have the time or the desire to get it :)

[bête noire]

"Location-based Content". What a nice way to say, "advertising".

[zync]

Oh great! So future kids will get iPhones for Xmas at school enrollment age? Damn, why must I be a kid of the 80s?? :p

So that you can remember what it was like before technology ruled our lives, and appreciate it.

[koobcamuk]

My children will someday ask me in the future, "Daddy, why did people stand in line to order".

They're more likely to ask;

"Daddy, why did you keep driving a car when you knew about Global Warming?"

[BOSS10L]

Part of the Starbucks "experience" is the interaction and banter with the cashier and barista, as you order your drink.

Is that what they're calling it now? An "experience" with a cashier/barista? It's a cup of coffee, not a first home. I guess that is how they can justify the pricing. They should change their slogan, "A buck for the joe, $4 for the ambience".

Nothing personal, but this kind of consumerism is going to be the death of us all. Wal-Mart FTW!

[jmadlena]

Is that what they're calling it now? An "experience" with a cashier/barista? It's a cup of coffee, not a first home. I guess that is how they can justify the pricing. They should change their slogan, "A buck for the joe, $4 for the ambience".

Nothing personal, but this kind of consumerism is going to be the death of us all. Wal-Mart FTW!

Yes, Wal-Mart is the cure for consumerism... :rolleyes:

[idannyb]

A bit of pure speculation ... I would not be too surprised to see Steve Jobs inviting AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz on stage at WWDC to announce free WiFi for iPhone users in all Starbucks. Free WiFi makes it easier for iPhone owners to order their coffee via this ap and to use wave-pay (pay via their iPhone) to complete the transaction.

To make this process even easier, Starbucks may be installing femtocell devices in all starbucks. AT&T has apparently contracted to buy 7,000 femtocells (or so the story goes). AT&T may also be a conducting a femtocell trial "later this year."

http://idannyb.wordpress.com/2008/02/11/femtocells ...
http://wireless-watch.com/2008/04/25/att-femtocell ...

via ThinkPanmure: AT&T signed a contract with the firm for up to $500 million in femtocells over the course of five years, and will sell the devices for as little as $100 each.

[Aeolius]

"Daddy, why did you keep driving a car when you knew about Global Warming?"

"Because daddy tried to curtail the larger source of global warming; cows. Unfortunately, daddy can only eat so many of them."

[Aeolius]

Wal-Mart FTW!

Wal-Mart frightens me. But then again so do malls.

"This is what happens when you leave home. You meet... people. " - Phileas Fogg, Around the World in 80 Days

[FiveMonkies]

I think this makes sense now. All the SBs in Phoenix have a sticker printed and stuck on your drink. Looks like it's already automated and ready for me to order from my iPHone :)

[Hummer]

I think this makes sense now. All the SBs in Phoenix have a sticker printed and stuck on your drink. Looks like it's already automated and ready for me to order from my iPHone :)


Eh, thats nothing new. The printers have been around for the longest and majorily used for locations where the registers are far enough away from the bars that the person on bar has trouble hearing a drink call from the register.

[hhaeschen]

They're more likely to ask;

"Daddy, why did you keep driving a car when you knew about Global Warming?"

Well, in that case I show them my (by then) old car and they'll understand and experience all the facets of jealousy. :D

*just kidding*

[nomad01]

Maybe some baristas don't give a crap but I can tell you that's not how they all are. I've worked at Starbucks for 5 years and I still care and give my customers a quality beverage every time.

P.S. - Not trying to start an argument but someone has to stick up for us baristas! :-)

And kudos to you for that.

In Birmingham (UK) there are something like 7 Starbucks stores dotted around the city centre and out of those, I'd say there was one store that had staff that really make coffee as good as they possibly can with Starbuck's roast and do seem to pride themselves in their work. The rest of the stores produce coffee that's average at best.

That said, the environment is more condusive to sitting and relaxing than most other coffee chains in the city so I still use Starbucks but I tend to keep my order simple.

And I don't have a problem with people working in coffee shops in general. I've been there myself in the past. :)

Back to the topic though... I love the idea that I'll be able to sit down and order from the comfort of an armchair in Starbucks but I'm just not sure I can see it working in reality.

[a456]

Great, further depersonalization and alienation in society. Why not have robots serve the coffee? Or simply invent a vending machine that makes an average cup of expensive coffee. A whole line of dispensers, like tube ticket machines, could be lined up in front of zombies who have already squirted their orders from their iPhones - they would simply need to walk up and collect. Unlocking the glass in front of the dispensed coffee by auto Bluetooth to make sure some other bugger (who deserves rightly to die) doesn't steal it.:rolleyes:

[nomad01]

Why not have robots serve the coffee?

This is Starbucks... would you notice a difference?? :D

Sorry baristas!! Just kidding. :)

[tuftywhite]

This would be a lot more useful to me if it didn't just rely on proximity. If I want to order a takeout meal from a restaurant, by the time I'm in range of their Wi-Fi I'm close enough to go in. For it to be a real benefit I would want to be able to order so that it's ready when I get there. I don't mind human interaction, I just don't like waiting.

The only time I've ever carried on conversations with the people in Starbucks was when it was across the street from my job, and some of them interned for me, so I hung out with them and their co-workers outside of Starbucks, too. Otherwise, I may have had small talk about the weather, but even that happens rarely, even with the nicest of barristas.

You could always use it as a phone and call them to place your order.

[Daijin]

This would be a lot more useful to me if it didn't just rely on proximity. If I want to order a takeout meal from a restaurant, by the time I'm in range of their Wi-Fi I'm close enough to go in. For it to be a real benefit I would want to be able to order so that it's ready when I get there. I don't mind human interaction, I just don't like waiting.


Whichis exactly what I can do. I live in Japan and here I can just access the (for example) MacD's page, order my meal and tell it which outlet i will collect at. It gives me an order number. All I have to do is show my phone to the staff and they give me my meal, it gets billed to the phone. I can buy rail tickets, pizzas, theatre tickets and pretty much most other things the same way.

Even a coffee, but not at Starbucks!

[jonny]

People who think themselves to be Coffee connaisseurs and will step foot in a starbucks for anything other than cake, cookies, or a new mug ought to be ashamed of themselves.

If apple were to put a starbucks application on an iphone (which someone couldn't remove) how is this any different from adspace on websites, or carrier branding etc?

Seriously...

http://www.shotbro.com/blog/?p=937

[nomad01]

People who think themselves to be Coffee connaisseurs and will step foot in a starbucks for anything other than cake, cookies, or a new mug ought to be ashamed of themselves.


But then you way the pros up with the cons... like refusing to drink an instant coffee from a friend makes you look like a bit of a d1ck.

An Americano won't kill me so I'll "suffer" for an arm chair and a feeling that I can stay an hour without being lynched.

[yvonnejim]

Just for the benefit of all in the forum:

pricepoint = price

form factor = size

[jonny]

But then you way the pros up with the cons... like refusing to drink an instant coffee from a friend makes you look like a bit of a d1ck.

An Americano won't kill me so I'll "suffer" for an arm chair and a feeling that I can stay an hour without being lynched.

Point well-taken. :) I mean it's better than a lot of the other chain alternatives (see crappy drip/instant coffee), however them being allowed to call the 'coffee' that they put into their beverages 'espresso' should be illegal. imho :P

[nomad01]

Point well-taken. :) I mean it's better than a lot of the other chain alternatives (see crappy drip/instant coffee), however them being allowed to call the 'coffee' that they put into their beverages 'espresso' should be illegal. imho :P

Yeah I'll agree with you there. And it does make me laugh to see people even bothering to order an espresso at Starbucks. If they can drink that, they aint no connoisseur.

[bgoudelo]

Is that what they're calling it now? An "experience" with a cashier/barista? It's a cup of coffee, not a first home. I guess that is how they can justify the pricing. They should change their slogan, "A buck for the joe, $4 for the ambience".

Nothing personal, but this kind of consumerism is going to be the death of us all. Wal-Mart FTW!

A cup-of-joe (drip coffee) is $1.77(Tall) to $2.00(Venti), not $5 like you and most people say. By the way, I've been to mom and pop coffee shops and they are priced the same as Starbucks or sometimes even more expensive.

So back to the topic, I could see people without iPhones getting a little PO'ed during rushes if iPhone people just swoop in and get their drinks before the 10 or 15 people in line waiting to pay.

[SPG]

How did it get so big there then? You don't have to live in Seattle to know that their coffee sucks. They even admit to burning it. It smells horrible in Starbucks too, like they're killing the beans.

Many of you guys (not talking about you SPG, you restored my faith in Seattle) are all competing about how friendly your "barista" is. You must have never been to a real coffee shop, ones that appreciate your business, and don't call their employees "baristas." Maybe I'm spoiled too. I can get café con leche in the morning if I want it, but then again I live in Tampa and work in Ybor City. Unfortunately I don't really have the time or the desire to get it :)

Not sure how it got so big here, maybe the rainy winters, but it is bigger than big here. Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Tully's, all started here. Now there are a bunch of local "mini chains" that are really good like Ladro, Vivace, Victrola, Herkimer, Diva, etc... The competition keeps them good. Even the Starbucks in Seattle proper are better than your average Starbucks.

As far as the friendliness of the baristas and the "experience", YMMV and you have to realize that it's just like going to a bar. You can sit at home with a 6 pack of budweiser for $5 or you can go to the bar and pay $5 for a pint of microbrew. Some bars have mean bartenders but friendly patrons, others the opposite. You need to make the effort to find the one that suits you.
Me? I have a very nice Illy espresso machine, a good burr grinder, and a friend who manages a roasting operation here in town.

[BOSS10L]

Yes, Wal-Mart is the cure for consumerism... :rolleyes:

Wal-Mart frightens me. But then again so do malls.

"This is what happens when you leave home. You meet... people. " - Phileas Fogg, Around the World in 80 Days

I was being sarcastic.

[macwall]

Starbucks coffee is like Bose speakers. It's all in the marketing.

[BOSS10L]

A cup-of-joe (drip coffee) is $1.77(Tall) to $2.00(Venti), not $5 like you and most people say. By the way, I've been to mom and pop coffee shops and they are priced the same as Starbucks or sometimes even more expensive.

So back to the topic, I could see people without iPhones getting a little PO'ed during rushes if iPhone people just swoop in and get their drinks before the 10 or 15 people in line waiting to pay.

Yeah, that's just a cup of joe. If you get a cappuccino, latte or whatever (I don't drink any of that stuff), I'm sure you probably do edge close to $5 when all is said and done.

My point being that even at $2 a cup, it is too overpriced. People will whine all day long about paying $4 for a gallon of gas, but don't think twice about a their decaf-lowfat-all froth-sprinkled with cinnamon-latte and croissant for $7 every morning.

Here's the deal. What is attempting to happen is for each of us to have as little actual interaction as physically possible. Order and buy via iPhone. Scan bar code (and subsequently accept charges and pay) via camera on iPhone, walk out, not looking up at all while we're checking our e-mail and electronic news. Assembly line consumerism, the best kind there is. And we're all clamoring for it.

I'm no Luddite, quite the opposite actually, but it seems with each successive iteration of technology, the less intelligent and impersonal as a people we become.

[BOSS10L]

Starbucks coffee is like Bose speakers. It's all in the marketing.

Thank you, very well put. I can't tell you the breath I wasted trying to explain to my father how much of a waste of money those Bose speakers are, but he didn't want to hear it. Never mind that I'm a Home Theater enthusiast and did years of research before I bought my first component. My wife thinks he did it just to be argumentative, and she's probably right, but it is his money, I guess.

[matthutch]

"Because daddy tried to curtail the larger source of global warming; cows. Unfortunately, daddy can only eat so many of them."

GOLD!! :D

On a side note:
I can't remember who posted it earlier but the Home Auto-motion page here (http://web.mac.com/aeolius/house/ECU.html) was pretty interesting. If Apple was able to develop the location based system to allow stuff like this it would be pretty cool, it would actually encourage/enable people to get outside and see people... maybe even their local Starbucks Barista ;o)

[XP Defector]

This is fantastic news, another plug pulled on social interaction between individuals. The end logic of this process is surely that I can sit in a chair somewhere and just push buttons on my iPhone to satisfy my desires and in the process not have to deal with anyone at all.

[saminsocks]

You can do that now with the "phone" part of the iPhone. ;)

True. But if I had to go through all the trouble of using my phone to get contact information I'd rather just place my order than make a phone call. Most places take forever to answer the phone. Plus, if I can do that from my office I can do that when I'm walking past the store as well. I don't see the difference.

[Davy Rocket]

Location-based Content is the future of marketing. once again apple appears on the forefront of a revolution. :apple:

[guzzetta]

Hey, that's cool. This is like what those guys over at AtomicClock.com (http://www.AtomicClock.com) have been working on. It helps you find things to do wherever you are.