As I wait with my pitchfork and torch in hand to see if I get an email today or if rioting is in order I feel like I need to rant again about the gigantic clusterf--- that is every single freaking Android launch. Stop me if you've heard this one.
Apple product launch goes like this:
1. Announce product with solid ship date.
2. Allow pre-orders and allow hype to build
3. Days before the product ships release review units to the bloggers/journalists you know will give you a positive review no matter what you give them. Hold back review units from those you know will be more critical.
4. As people read glowing reviews after glowing reviews, release the product on time.
Android launch goes like this.
1. Announce product. Give no set ship date, just say it's coming "soon".
2. Allow pre-orders if you must. Preferably not. So what if customers buy something else in the meantime.
3. Give no word on when "soon" might be. If rumors come out that the product has been delayed because of design issues/software bugs/it kills kittens and small children, just ignore those rumors.
4. If you're feeling ambitious, release a preview unit or two to random bloggers. Doesn't matter if they're inclined to give a positive review or not. If they pan your device, it's no big deal. Might even be a plus.
5. Extremely important!!! Let the hype die down. Let it die. Wait until only the fanboys are interested and the common people no longer care.
6. Release device with no hype at all. Ideally, the fanboy just walks into the store at random and discovers it is there.
It's easy to blame bad releases on OEMs and carriers, but this time it's a pure Google device being sold by Google. They basically control everything about the process from manufacturing to shipping and they are totally f---ing it up. Again. Just like every other Android launch.
