Going retro

In the midst of spring trade show season, there's a distinctly retro feel in the air. But before you pull out those parachute pants and that Members Only jacket you've been hiding in the back of the closet, know that this retro is a little more modern. Like 1999 retro.

Over the past several weeks, I've counted no less than a half dozen executives who, if you closed your eyes and forgot reality for a moment, sounded like they're stuck in the era of free-flowing VC cash and business plans that lose money on each transaction but make it up in volume. Perhaps most interesting is that the idea of a killer app has reared its ugly head once again.

At last week's RHK Startrax 2004 conference, it seemed almost a mark of credibility to step out and declare a killer app. Just like 1999, though, asking 10 people what the killer app is will draw 12 different responses. Voice, gaming, presence, video and speed itself were all declared the killer app by access vendor executives who should know better.

Of course, no one knows for certain what the killer will app be, but an important shift in access vendors' roles has started. Instead of simply being box pushers, access vendors increasingly are being asked to bring a business plan forward that incorporates any and/or all of the above applications. And while many say that they provide "solutions" and not just equipment, the time when that rhetoric meets reality is coming fast.

E-mail me at vvittore@primediabusiness.com.