With advances in 3d printing and nanotechnologies, we are heading towards a situation where most goods needed or wanted in our lives can be produced in our own homes, andor designed to our specifications.
I agree with your first proposition as regards intangible products. However, I have to wonder where we as a planet are going to find the resources to build the capital base to manufacture the 3d printers/nanotech, the resources to actually manufacture these devices on a global scale plus resources these devices require as inputs. "Ideas or the lack of them can cause disease." - Kurt Vonnegut
But there is already very interesting research going on, with at least basic prototypes of self-replication having been produced in robotics and 3d printing. The most important one would probably be self-replication through nano technology thought, which has the potential to really open up the flood gates.
Why is self-replication important? Because there is no need for mass production or its industrial or financial base to produce the product any more.
