Dave Winer had an interesting looking-into-the-future moment regarding GPS devices.
It mapped a route for him, one that he though odd – but GPS is still imperfect. Anyway, along the way, he had to make a turn at a convenience store.
And here was his flash:
There’s no way the GPS knew there was a convenience store there (a national brand, btw), but in five or ten years, I’m sure they will. And further, Toyota will make a deal with the chain to direct traffic by their store, as opposed to their competition. …. That could be much more valuable than advertising. It’s not about impressions, it’s about delivering customers. Literally!
Somewhat frightening, yet entirely possible. Ditto for Google Maps and other such applications. It’s so obvious (now what Winer’s pointed it out) that it seems inevitable.
Sinister…