The past few weeks have reminded us once again of the massive hype that develops when a revolutionary new product hits the mainstream marketplace. Apple’s iPhone is no exception. The so-called “Jesus Phone” has dominated online and offline news in the past weeks, with one person even attempting to steal a device during a live interview on FOX.

Beyond the hype of the launch itself, there have been an equal number of industry pundits and experts predicting that iPhone will “change the way we think about phones and wireless“. So, in the spirit of bold soothsaying (such as predicting a single product will turn a multi-billion dollar industry on its head), here is one more:

iPhone will change…

Now you fill in the blank. Whatever you want. Go ahead - pick any topic….anything at all.

It’s not that iPhone (the device) will only change the wireless industry. iPhone (the experience) will change everything.

The device itself is a thing of beauty, and (once again) reinforces the claim that the teams in Cupertino are masters of design. And even though many are crying foul because it doesn’t have a removable battery, 3G network support, or a memory expansion slot, those are complaints that revolve around feature sets and can be remedied through software updates and hardware tweaks in future models.

What’s important about iPhone is that it’s a disruptive force in a culturally significant area. Though cell phones are constantly getting smaller and more powerful, the social significance has leveled out. Why? Because most people own a cell phone. They’re not a “new” thing. They just are. They’re a part of life as we know it, and we expect them to be there and function.

The key to iPhone is that it raises expectations, not just about how a cell phone should work, but about how we interact and engage in otherwise socially inert activities. iPhone takes an experience and activity that is commonplace to millions of people everyday and masterfully demonstrates how to enrich an experience, instead of detract from it.

It is a disruptive force in a social norm. From radio to the Internet, anytime a disruptive force has come along and upset the standard the impact has always - ALWAYS - been felt in every other area of modern life.

iPhone will change the way we think about cell phones and wireless. But it will also change the way we think about a lot of other things too.