Beta Industry No More

DaringFireball quotes MG Siegler saying:

 If you release shit, you look like shit. It’s much better to release nothing at all.

This statement marks a significant change of direction for the internet software industry.  Since Netscape began the trend of early and perpetual "beta" releases, half done shit has been the norm.  Everything was beta, all the time, and it all stank.

Even so, this was the advice given to all startups by all the experts: release early and often and don't sweat the crap.  Google became the 800 lbs gorilla following just this model: everything was beta, most of it stank, and if it didn't stick to the wall, they eventually killed it off.  What did stick still looked aweful (with the sole exception of their home page).

Then came the Apple half-decade.  Apple released product after product that was just georgeous and (for the vast, vast, majority including myself) just worked.  Eventually, you get acustomed to having things not stink.

So sing hallelujah!  Our long dark night of "beta" may be coming to a close.