edcokpareke

Customer: Hey Starbucks guy, when will my mocha be ready? Starbucks guy: Can't say. It'll be ready when it's ready. Is that better for you? Does that situation seem any more likely? The fact that you don't see that my analogy can be applied to pretty much all business transactions is in fact what's silly.

I work at Boeing on the 787. We all know how it's been plagued with delays. Can you imagine if Boeing told ANA, Air India, JAL, or the other airlines lining up to place orders for new 787-8's, "we can't project a delivery date. You'll get your planes when they're ready". No airline would sign up. Instead, businesses set targets and work feverishly to meet that goal. Yes in business, release or delivery dates are often missed, but this doesn't mean you shouldn't work toward a goal. Also, setting a goal does note mean compromising the quality of your product. It's the same as any other endeavor you undertake in life. You set a goal and work to meet it. PMDG makes great products. That's not in question. But what I'm saying is the truth, and the fact that PMDG makes great sims doesn't change that.

I realize that, and I acknowledged it in my post by noting that, "Ultimately PMDG pretty much runs a monopoly because it produces fine simulation software, and they have every right to exploit the situation". However, I can apply the same premise to other situations where companies have a near monopoly on a product or software category. Whether we are talking about Microsoft's Windows, Adobe's Acrobat, or Sony and it's PSP, the same holds true. "We will release it when we release it" just comes across as amateurish and outright arrogant. You would say the same thing if any well known company acts that way, regardless of the level of competition for their product. I don't understand why PMDG gets a pass.

I've been passively watching this PMDG 777 release drama from the sidelines since the tail end of 2012. I'm only a casual simmer, and I don't care too much when it's released. However, I just had to note the silliness of this whole thing. If any other business on the face of this planet ran a product development or marketing process the way PMDG is running this 777 release process, they'd have been out of business at the snap of a finger. They announced the product way back without any sort of formal timeline. They issue bits and pieces of information [presumably] to keep their customer base engaged and interested, but they still won't offer any sort of firm commitment to said customers. The worst part - they scold anyone who expresses any sort of frustration with the seemingly unending delay. I know this post will get crucified, but before you do so, just think about this for a minute. Imagine if Apple announces the iPhone 5S and then carries on with its development with the idea that it's customer's patience is essentially a bottomless pit. Imagine the panning they'd receive in the media a year after most reasonable expectations predicted the product would be released. This sort of thing would be widely viewed as undisciplined and uncharacteristic of any company that was serious about its customers or its profits. Obviously, Apple can't afford to act in such a way because their competitors would bury them at the blink of an eye. I guess the lack of any serious competition allows PMDG to carry on in this undisciplined manner. Ultimately, I realize PMDG pretty much runs a monopoly because it produces fine simulation software, and they have every right to exploit the situation. I'm just surprised that most here are still salivating in anticipation of 777 release, despite how they've been treated by this company.