Not irrelevant, SEO is HUGE and no new shiny toy will kill it. No matter how much you try to paint it.
The way the results are being presented has been changed, not the relevancy of those results we were optimising for and still being presented with.
I hate it when people scream WITCH when something they have failed to understand is being presented before them, either that or jump back on the old “SEO is DEAD” bandwagon, for linkbait, for attention seeking kinkbait.
SEO is an Elephant! it may jump at the sight of a mouse occasionally but in the long run it`s too big of a beast with a head on it that adapts and never forgets. It`s just another opportunity to adapt.
More reading on Google Instant that you should take a look over;
Google Instant Complete Users Guide Google Instant Impact on Search Queries Thoughts on Google Instant Google Instant Search Experts View Google Instant What Now Google Instant Search What Do We Think Google Not So Instant in The UK How To Track Google Instant in Google Analytics

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Gabriella Sannino and Dean Cruddace, Terry Van Horne. Terry Van Horne said: RT @SEOcopy: SEO is an Elephant http://www.seobegin.com/2010/09/seo-elephant/ @DeanCruddace – LOL [...]