Quoted from Bublehead:

Ok, here is my take:
The online leaderboard parts... so pushing data to the web is not an issue, no security hole there, but on the downlink side, opening up to receive new code is a massive risk, one that will need strong security. Are Stern the ones we want gatekeeping the bad out of our machines? Automatic updates need confirmation and security certificate handshaking to work well, is Stern the company that could pull this off? You only have to hire one or two guys who are pretty smart and knowledgeable on this kind of security to implement it correctly. I talked to Tanio Klyce one on one about software and the challenges facing designers and I found him to be quite the resource and impressive from the standpoint of one coder talking to another coder. I write code for a major bank, and I am well versed in the security that that involves. I think Tanio and his team at Stern have the ability to pull this off. As for what you can do with a push and pull interface, the sky is the limit. What will make people buy more pins? For an op it is how does it keep itself clean, working, and accepting money? For a player it is, how do I match up to other players? Be that specific player statistics, high scores, or the like. Some of the things a player may want feedback on... how many times did I lite a shot and not hit it, or a stat on timing, like showing a chart of shots, and your percentage of taking and making each shot. The math behind those types of statistics would take time to develope and display and the change management of player expectation and benefits of data presented realized. If you knew you were constantly shanking a specific shot, either too soon or too late, knowing which way you need to adjust your timing would be a benefit. It could also tell you what shots you suck at and need practice. Could you see a “practice” Menu item appear with a flipper button press while you have credits on the machine and the machine goes into shot practice mode. Even charge extra to activate the mode, like $5 per 5 minutes of practice time or You select a shot you want to practice and you have a pricing menu come up with how much to practice this shot. Would an operator care you are teaching the player how to beat the machine? Not if he’s making a buck a minute to let you try.
And the machine software would then set up practice shots for you and deliver the ball to the flipper, you shoot your shots, it tells you you are fast or slow. You finish your session and get a report that can be pushed to an email address the player enters during profile setup when they start the practice session. This guys, this. This is what is waiting, and this can make pinball earnings great again. What player would not drop a fiver to get a practice session hosted by the designer, or hosted by major Wizards (Not going to drop any names here because you all know who you are). So what if a mode like Lyman’s Lament could be purchased, and what if it could help you learn the rules. What shots to take and why, and when? Scoring hints and “inside” info could be sold based on credits (Press both flippers for scoring advice- cost X credits) why make a player have only one option to pay for play? As operators go, anything that puts more money into the machine is a win. If the players get better, free game score reflexing takes care of that. For a player, anthing that increases my score and makes it easier to win a free game is, well a win. Win-win... just saying...