Shipping threads exist so that people can discuss their concerns/worries about shipping without being told off for it. Seeing the beta group collectively sweep in when people use it for exactly that is a bit too much for me.
Your first sentence is correct. Your second sentence is as much of an overreaction as you describe for the beta team.
To be clear, the following is directed at everyone, not just you.
This thread is not for discussing this thread. Please refrain from criticizing other members and their comments. It's fair to criticize
@RastaBuddhaTao for his business practices, just as it's fair to come to his defense. I want to remind everyone once again that the beta team paid for their units and because of that, they will receive the first batch of production Zions. These will be delivered before October is over and if we don't find any problems (and the betas have been remarkably problem-free) then it's possible we could see the first non-beta team orders shipped before the end of the month. I'm making an assumption here, since I don't have confirmation of that yet.
Without exception, every beta tester (although there were supposed to be 10 the team has 14 members I think) has fallen in love with the Zion. We've seen the dedication and hard work of
RBT and we are confident that the production model is even better. That's why criticism is met with a defense; however, it is an exaggeration to characterize that as being as hostile as some have.
...we shouldn't have a group of people collectively dismissing anything that could be read as remotely negative.
Again, this is just an example, others have done the same, but this is a sweeping generalization that just isn't true.
What I find rather comical is that there are grown adults who think it is okay to not only miss deadlines a businessman sets for himself, but to not even acknowledge that he has missed them. THAT to me is comical.
I understand RBT is incredibly busy right now, but he had the time to update the FAQ, why couldn't he take the three seconds to remove "Oct 2015" from the page where you give him your money at? Doesn't make a ton of sense to me unless he still wants potential orders to think they will ship this month.
Perhaps it was overlooked. This comment is pretty harsh. I don't know what business world you inhabit but in all the ones I've experienced, deadlines are missed and yes, sometimes without acknowledgement. When it happens, reasonable business people first look for the reasons why before offering condemnation. That's because most of them have missed deadlines themselves. If there's no reason to suspect outright deception and the original promise was made in good faith, that sets the tone of their reaction. I think some of you are being unreasonable.
When
RBT told me he was taking pre-orders, I shuddered because everything we see unfolding here was easily predictable. It doesn't matter what I or anyone else says, there are those who will not see past "Shipping October 2" and feel that it is a terrible thing to have stated that goal and missed it. That's just human nature, and calling them names (I'm looking at you
@KeroZen) doesn't help and won't change them. This is the thread where they can express themselves whether they are reasonable or not, but it is not the place to squabble over the point. Keep posting criticisms, and as long as they fall within the rules then there is no problem, but with such a large beta team who all love their Zions, expect every criticism to be met with a defense. That's also human nature.