“The new products we are planning to release this year are very strong, starting this week with a major new product that we’re really excited about.”

That’s what Steve Jobs said today when Apple revealed their Q4 financials.

I can’t help it. I can barely control my excitement over Apple’s new products announcement on Wednesday. And, though I have a meeting scheduled up in LA to begin at the exact same time as the announcement, I will surely be streaming it to some device hidden in my jacket pocket.

Here’s why I am so excited:

Apple is supposedly going to unveil a tablet-like device (iPad, iSlate, iWhatever) and this device is going to get us that much closer to the advertising holy grail: completely personalized advertisements.  If this tablet does what the speculators think it will do, then it’s a conduit for

games,

email,

magazines,

journals,

books,

textbooks,

newspapers,

tv,

movies,

apps

and the web.

It will be a direct link from Apple to our Attention.   Just think about it: every form of media will be deliverable to us in one form factor.  And if Apple knows what we prefer, when we prefer it and maybe even why we prefer it, their advertising partners can serve us up singularly targeted messaging.  This is a game-changer for advertisers, content providers ( no more boohooing, editors!) and business.  Direct mail will change (your “mailbox” will be with you wherever you are and it will be able to serve up interactive advertising).  Magazines will change (they will no longer sell limited ad space, but limitless and targeted advertising space). Even retail sales will change (welcome to the digital catalog and your ability to see products in context, to interact with them, to find out more and to watch video content about the products and brands).

Apple’s biggest challenge may be making this so it isn’t scary to us consumers when we realize what a Pandora’s box this really is.  I hope they’ve given this a great deal of thought and are ready to answer the privacy and ethical issues that will arise.  Because this is going to be a really incredible leap for personal technology.