Comments on: Customers Provide the Real Innovative Edge http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/01/05/customers-provide-the-real-innovative-edge/ The source on how we live, work and play Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:10:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Buzzcut http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/01/05/customers-provide-the-real-innovative-edge/comment-page-1/#comment-8793 Buzzcut Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:59:28 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=5426#comment-8793 Yeah, I used to be an early adopter. Bluetooth changed me of that habit. I jumped on the BT bandwagon early, in 2004. Got a headset, cellphone, PDA, and USB adapter. The headset was crap. No battery life, wouldn't connect. Sending a phone number from a PDA to a cellphone never worked reliably. The kicker was that when XP went to SP2, the USB adapter stopped working, and the manufacturer never released drivers to make it work. I put the headset and adaper in a drawer, sold the PDA on ebay, and gave the cellphone to my wife. Now I use a Tracfone and a wired headset! I also got burned on a Skype wi-fi phone. The thing never worked. I sold it on ebay as well. Thank god for ebay. It makes the mistakes less painful! I've found a lot of advantages to being a late adopter. First of all, stuff tends to actually work! Secondly, you can pick up all the stuff you used to really want on ebay for cheap! I just upgraded my circa-2005 laptop to the fastest compatible processor for $25. It would have cost hundreds back then. Maybe the secret of Apple's success is that they release cool stuff only when it actually works. Maybe my problem is that I'm too cheap to buy Apple products. Yeah, I used to be an early adopter. Bluetooth changed me of that habit. I jumped on the BT bandwagon early, in 2004. Got a headset, cellphone, PDA, and USB adapter.

The headset was crap. No battery life, wouldn’t connect. Sending a phone number from a PDA to a cellphone never worked reliably.

The kicker was that when XP went to SP2, the USB adapter stopped working, and the manufacturer never released drivers to make it work.

I put the headset and adaper in a drawer, sold the PDA on ebay, and gave the cellphone to my wife. Now I use a Tracfone and a wired headset!

I also got burned on a Skype wi-fi phone. The thing never worked. I sold it on ebay as well. Thank god for ebay. It makes the mistakes less painful!

I’ve found a lot of advantages to being a late adopter. First of all, stuff tends to actually work! Secondly, you can pick up all the stuff you used to really want on ebay for cheap! I just upgraded my circa-2005 laptop to the fastest compatible processor for $25. It would have cost hundreds back then.

Maybe the secret of Apple’s success is that they release cool stuff only when it actually works. Maybe my problem is that I’m too cheap to buy Apple products.

]]> By: Lyall Davidson http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/01/05/customers-provide-the-real-innovative-edge/comment-page-1/#comment-8784 Lyall Davidson Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:03:32 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=5426#comment-8784 Some time ago I conducted a research programme in Europe, looking at economic performance across countries and industries. The basic measure was output per employee per square kilometer. What emerged was a contour map, showing peaks and valleys, strings and networks, which, in the main, ignored political frontiers. The dynamic part came with culture - local, corporate and industry. Culture is about retained values and the survival instinct, which drives creativity. Creativity often starts with the collision of disparate ideas, which leads in turn to constant regeneration. The research identified 'hot spots' of longterm growth. These also turned out to be interesting places to live because of the local festivals, theatre groups, art galleries, opera, churches, sports etc - activities which were, in turn, sponsored and otherwise supported by local, national and multi-national companies who were part of the web. Generally speaking, we identified a success cycle of regional strategic advantage, which led to specialisation, attracted in new investment and people, which led to diversity and a blossoming of local cultural life, particularly with the influx of new people attracted by the jobs, or bringing in new skills which were in short supply (e.g. Technical and Management). Crucial to the whole game were the wives of the incoming players, who insisted on the the right educational and development environment for their children, which spawned new schools, new colleges and univesities, new cultural and sports opportunities, often importing norms and standards from other parts of the world. Some time ago I conducted a research programme in Europe, looking at economic performance across countries and industries. The basic measure was output per employee per square kilometer. What emerged was a contour map, showing peaks and valleys, strings and networks, which, in the main, ignored political frontiers. The dynamic part came with culture – local, corporate and industry. Culture is about retained values and the survival instinct, which drives creativity. Creativity often starts with the collision of disparate ideas, which leads in turn to constant regeneration. The research identified ‘hot spots’ of longterm growth. These also turned out to be interesting places to live because of the local festivals, theatre groups, art galleries, opera, churches, sports etc – activities which were, in turn, sponsored and otherwise supported by local, national and multi-national companies who were part of the web. Generally speaking, we identified a success cycle of regional strategic advantage, which led to specialisation, attracted in new investment and people, which led to diversity and a blossoming of local cultural life, particularly with the influx of new people attracted by the jobs, or bringing in new skills which were in short supply (e.g. Technical and Management). Crucial to the whole game were the wives of the incoming players, who insisted on the the right educational and development environment for their children, which spawned new schools, new colleges and univesities, new cultural and sports opportunities, often importing norms and standards from other parts of the world.

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