Do We Really Want Beta Hardware?

Google has stripped all meaning out of the word Beta so the term is becoming increasingly irrelevant on the software side of the biz. No company in its right mind would dare apply the term to hardware, but I don't think that is stopping them from beginning to foist Beta hardware on an unsuspecting, yet willing public.

We've become so conditioned to the fact that software takes awhile to bake up just right that we seem to be content to let Betas slowly simmer before cooking to perfection. We are fascinating accomplices in the charade allowing developers to continue on with their race to be number one and control the world as they so generously grant us the opportunity to participate in the process.

I hope we aren't allowing ourselves to be positioned as similar accomplices for hardware releases.

The recent release of the UMPC/Origami seems to be an almost perfect storm pointing us down the road to Beta hardware. Origami isn't the only culprit here, but it is the most recent and the largest offender in my view. Granted first generation devices usually fail to measure up to later standards, as the hardware engineering doesn't quite meet the practical realities of getting those great ideas to work they way they were imagined. I have no problem with that on its face. That's reality. It's the dream makers who push the "change your life" approach with their marketing that are the root of the problem. I imagine the bean counters have something to say about this as well.

Three points here.

1. No one is going to plunk down dollars for Beta hardware. And it certainly costs a pretty penny to roll out enough units of any device without some kind of return on investment. It would be difficult to provide enough testers with an opportunity to help get the kinks out.
2. A bad launch is a bad launch is a bad launch. I am beginning to suspect that the UMPC won't recover from reams of bad press and miscalculations by the OEMs and their partners. It's a shame really because I think the concept has a real chance of actually living up to the hype eventually. But what is going to be the next campaign? This time we got it right?
3. You can only "change the world" so many times before the public gets tired of the hype. While most folks memories are short, things do hang around back in the recesses of the subconscious. Anyone else see any similarity between these ads and the Origami viral campaign? And the only thing worse than over aggressive marketing is timid marketing brought on by being snake bit by former mistakes. (Can you say Tablet PC?)

In my business of doing theatre, things are really the same but there is a difference as we try out new shows on the public. We hold Previews at discounted prices and show business is rife with legends of things going wrong in previews (The boat wouldn't sink when the Titanic previewed.) Cast and crew have been replaced. And in the old days, shows closed out of town, aborting their journey to The Great White Way. Our business has actually carried the concept too far, in my opinion, keeping shows in previews forever (like Betas). Why? Critics can't publish a review before the show opens. A great anecdote from the recent past was Al Pacino playing the title role in Hughie at Circle in the Square. The show was scheduled for nine weeks. It previewed for eight. It didn't need the work, but it got the sell outs they were looking for. As snaky as that seems, at least there is some truth in advertising going on and the prices reflect the Beta stage.

But back to the point about the public being willing accomplices. Just like folks will stand in line to see a preview performance, they will clamor for the latest and greatest, believe the hype, plunk down cash, and be disappointed in the result. Or will they? Like in show biz, I think folks are starting to see what is going on behind the curtain. A bad show is a bad show and hype won't save it. A bad launch is a bad launch, and any misstep leaves a sour taste in the mouth of the customer far beyond the initial dissatisfaction. When that misstep is wrapped in hyperbolic hype the sour taste lingers longer and often turns into even longer lingering and tough to counter disparagement. Even so, the consumer hungers for the next big thing and makes P.T. Barnum's descendants wish he had gotten a copyright on that famous phrase he's credited with.

Microsoft took some hard knocks for the delays with Vista. In the end, I'm guessing that decision will save them money and grief to get it out the door later and in better shape than it would have been by sticking to a deadline. Hardware releases should be treated the same as something as complex and far reaching as an operating system. Patience, while not immediately profitable, needs to be exercised. I hope this trend I'm sensing doesn't become too entrenched. Again, no launch is ever going to be perfect and there will be bugs and problems. But at least there will be a better chance of making the boat sink when you want it to, not because you sailed too early.