New product announcements are typically always exciting. We get to see, usually once a year, what a new company has been working on since their last big release. Whether that’s hardware or software, the anticipation for what’s coming can be pretty strong, and so can the desire to want to use whatever that new thing is right now.
Waiting is never easy, but it only gets worse when it’s something you really want to use.
I don’t know if it’s harder or easier when it comes to hardware, though. Like a lot of you I typically want to use whatever new device gets announced, and I’d much prefer to use it right away. But, at the same time, most product announcements have some kind of waiting period immediately afterward, whether it be weeks or months. And since that’s just what we’ve grown accustomed to, waiting is just part of the experience. (Some companies have broken tradition here, which is nice, but waiting is still the norm.)
On the software front, and for most of the public, it’s pretty much been the same situation. A company takes the stage and announces a ton of new features, and then at the end of it reveals that it’ll be available sometime later in the year. In the case of Google and Apple it’s several months later. And when it comes to Android Nougat and iOS 10, waiting to use the new features is frustrating.
Of course, there is a workaround. Betas exist, pre-release software that the companies work on to prepare the platform’s public launch all those months later. And while companies tend to keep that software under “only for developers!” banners, some break out and offer public beta access. Input from real world users is important, so giving them a chance to try out a bunch of new features, all the while grabbing data and feedback, is a win-win.
And with that comes the reminder that installing beta software, which is repeatedly marked with “not ready for the public,” on a daily driver is frowned upon. It doesn’t matter how stable the software is, it’s typically just not a good idea to put it on the smartphone you use every day. That doesn’t stop people from doing it, of course. And making it even more readily available only makes it easier for those folks to try it out.
I used to try beta software on my devices all the time, but have since tapered off. I’ve had more bad situations than good over the years, so I’ve resigned myself to just waiting for the rest of the public to get my hands on new stuff. But I’ll be honest: I’ve seriously considered going back to my old ways with Android N and iOS 10. Just today I thought about going through the steps in making it happen, but so far I haven’t gone through with it.
But I am curious: do you run beta software on your daily driver? If so, how’s the experience been for you overall? And if not, have you had some bad experiences in the past giving it a shot that has led you to avoid it these days? Let me know!