Back in 2007, Steve Jobs described a feature released on the original iPhone called Starbucks Select:

“You walk into a Starbucks. Order your latté. While you wait, you hear a song wafting from the loudspeakers. You love it. So you get out your iPhone and buy it over Wi-Fi. Just like that. The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store on iPhone tells you what’s playing in select Starbucks and lets you buy it along with other featured Starbucks content.”

Back in ’07, I remember thinking this was the beginning of a great business model that could grow outside of just purchasing a song at Starbucks. But Apple has not moved forward with it.

Think about it… why draw the line at just selling Starbucks music? Why not something in more functional everyday commerce areas like retail stores, concerts, festivals or any event.

• What if… if you were at a concert and you had the ability to pull your phone out and order the album that’s being played on stage? Why not give people the ability to order the t-shirt and have it shipped to their house so they don’t have to carry it around? Let them order the album of the opening act or make a donation on-the-spot to the artist’s favorite charity.

• What if… while watching the Super Bowl you were able to get real-time updates pushed to your iPhone as commercials aired allowing you to bookmark for more information later or buy the product right away?

• What if… while watching American Idol you can purchase the shirt David Cook is wearing on stage? This would of course be done through an American Idol iPhone Application — in which you could vote for contestants and watch previous performances.

• What if… [insert more great ideas I haven't thought of yet here]

While I’m unfamiliar with the technical requirements it takes to setup a wi-fi base that once connected you’re iPhone would load a “Store Application”. I’m assuming with the launch of the App Store and it’s API, this in theory, could be relatively simple for the folks at Apple. Another alternative I’d offer: instead requiring developers to code a “Store Application” from scratch — is Apple could offer an application that resides in the next firmware update (universal user interface, few customizations here and there, standardized checkout — essentially give developers places to slot graphics, products, prices and descriptions). This would allow developers to then utilize an API to setup their own custom settings within using the web service. There could even be a per transaction fee Apple can mandate in order to monetize the Application.

Is my idea that far fetched? I’m sure critics would argue not enough users have an iPhone for this to be worth the investment on either Apple or the businesses. To which I would point out one million people purchased a 3G iPhone during is launch weekend. Is that enough users?

These are just thoughts, sparks, ideas… what are you waiting for Apple?
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