The Next Web has a great article on where Apple is headed with geolocation and Near Field Communications (NFC), and all I can say is, the sooner the better. After all, our smartphones - even our beloved iPhones - are "smart" like Rain Man is "smart." They're amazingly good at doing all kinds of really hard things, but then they simply can't process critical information that (from a human perspective) is far simpler. And then there are the tasks that they simply refuse to attempt or break down when they try.
So that's why I look forward to having a phone that really knows where I am, who I'm near, and what I am there to do. But I have a little rant to go along with this. Can we please stop dragging out coupons and discounts as the default example for geolocation? And while we're at it, can we also stop imagining that we'll toss out our credit and debit card infrastructure and start using NFC-enabled phones to buy things from retailers? Yes, I know that those examples (a) demonstrate what the underlying technology could do in "real world" applications, and (b) are how lots of companies are going to try to apply those technologies.
But those examples are contrived and unimaginative, and worst of all, they just kind of suck from a user experience perspective. We owe it to ourselves to think a bit deeper about what great experiences those technologies will really enable. Mobile advertising can work, and it will work, but only when it becomes a delight and not an interruption. That means doing things that are much more intelligent, creative and exciting than offering 50 cents off a cup of coffee. Sorry, but I either want the coffee or I don't, and your ad just cost me 30 seconds of time that I wanted to spend reading e-mail.
The same thing goes for NFC. In my wallet I have a dozen different ways to pay for that cup of coffee. I don't need another. Of course, it's a different story for unbanked people in other countries, or in use cases where pricing is complex and infrastructure is highly uniform, like Japanese trains. But compared to credit and debit transactions, what value does phone based payments bring to a retailer or its customers? I'll bet that in my lifetime I never buy a cup of coffee in the US with my phone. (If I lose the bet, you can come see me and collect via NFC, by the way.)
OK, time to stop ranting and start thinking about what cool, delightful changes will be driven by better geolocation and NFC in handsets. My guess is that the best applications will begin with the cultivation of people's innate desires - sharing, discovery, convenience and sense of self.
Not fifty cents off a latte.
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