Arthur van Hoff identified "increasing personalization" as one of the key trends of the future (Arthur van Hoff - interview notes). We can certainly see this in many of the high-tech gadgets around today: downloadable desktops and "themes" for home computers, ringtones and wallpapers for mobile 'phones, the management of personal content on you i-Pod and through Ti-Vo.
In the automotive industry, several companies allow customers to "design" their own car online (Customize Your Car Online: Intro and Conclusions)-- choosing which packages to include with or exclude from their new vehicle. Several of these pages are more successful than others, and certain models of car allow greater scope for customization than others. Yet all of this happens before the car hits the showroom. What opportunities are there for easy customization after the sale?
Perhaps the Dashboard Interface might be one way of faciliating simple and cheap customizatio/ personalization?