Cutline Speaks

Because Early Adopters Need Love, Too

posted by Erin on December 21, 2007

One of the things that I love about working at Cutline is that we’ve all learned to embrace open communications. This isn’t easy to do. A lot of companies say they do, but really, they don’t. I know – I’ve worked at some of them. Here at Cutline, no question or comment is (usually) a bad one. We’re a lively group of very outgoing people who (some more than others, sure) love to debate. We’ve even debated about the art of debate. So, in the spirit of openness and debate, I’m going to argue with Megan that not all consumers are like her. Some are like me, and they’ll welcome the Kindle with open arms.

When I saw the announcement from Amazon, I almost signed up immediately to get one. I didn’t, but only because I was in the middle of doing 15 other things and didn’t really have a minute to spare… at that moment. But it’s tops on my wish list. Why? Because unlike Megan, I’m quite ready to turn in my paperback (though, on a personal note, I happen to fancy hardcover books). I realize that it’s still early for Kindle and I, too, have read reports about the content not being great and the interface not being very intuitive or user-friendly, but, for me, it’s more about the promise.

And not just the promise of what the Kindle could be – but the idea that we live in a world where gadgets like the Kindle are possible. I’ll be the first to admit that I might change my mind about this in a week. I tend to get super excited about new technology though not many things can hold my interest for long. Mylo Communicator? Check. Sidekick? Check. The first Nikon Wi-Fi enabled camera? Check.

I’m not that old (I was born in the early 70s) but I remember a time when I didn’t have a cell phone, or a remote control television (in fact, I think our television was black and white when I was really young), or a Wii (this is also on my wish list, hint hint). I remember dialing a rotary phone, too. I took a typing class and used a typewriter. I wrote thank you notes by hand after parties when I was a kid. If you told me that Facebook, MySpace, Friendster and the like would replace my rotary phone and handwritten notes to friends and family, I would have thought you were from outer space. I might have even cried. But now when I look around me, and see how empowered people are by technology, I get really excited by the promise of the future.

So, to the good folks at Amazon – bring on the Kindle! I salute you and I’m sure that lots of other early adopters do, too.

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