Yes, it's too late for a release before Xmas if they want anything out of the retail market. A retail release now would be awful timing for two reasons:
1: Almost all of the software stores, office supply stores, department stores, etc. stock their shelves before the thanksgiving holiday. If the company doesn't have the software to the stores before that weekend, it'll most certainly not get rotated in until January, even moreso if the product is not an upgrade.
2: Media performance. The December magazines have already been written, printed, and distributed. Much fewer people read computer magazines in late December or early January, so product announcements, reviews, advertising etc. during this time is much less effective. A release now is missed by COMDEX, missed by business interest as well.
Quarterdeck will be under a lot of pressure from us (as shareholders) to sell a lot of RealHelp into the channel to try to pump up the quarter, but in the long run it'll be a mistake, stunting the product's early growth and potential, and harming 1Q98 results (as the stores finally put the product on the shelves that they or the distributor bought in 4Q97).
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>> Does anyone know when RealHelp will be released? Is it too late already for the product to make a splash this holiday season? I checked the QDEK site out last week and couldn't find much of anything regarding RealHelp (I had gone hoping to find a beta version).) Thanks for any info.
Jack |
