Interesting and ongoing story about the Thermomix appliance here in Australia that was updated with no warning, customers are angry and the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission is getting involved.So its not just Model S customers who missed out on the Autopilot features who feel disappointed.Thermomix awarded a Choice Shonky for
Another example... Apple unexpectedly announced iPad 4 only 6 months after iPad 3, breaking it's usual cycle of annual iPad updates. iPad 4 had a faster CPU and the new lightning connector. - - - Updated - - - And another example (though not sure if it caused too much uproar since Honda was quite open about it). 9th Generation Honda Civic debut in 2012. It had a significant MMC in 2013 due to poor sales of the 2012 model, which is a much earlier MMC than usual.
The article you quoted says this: "Choice chief executive Alan Kirkland said Thermomix denied it was launching a new product right up until the launch." I don't think that's what Tesla did.
Apple denies until the actual launch. There is no requirement to disclose confidential information when asked.
Yeah, I don't know the back story, but I think there's a difference (morally at the very least) between refusing to comment and lying.
I think the denying a new model was imminent was an isolated case for this appliance, most just feel hard-done by that they werent told of a new model.
An iPad or an appliance is not quite on parallel with a $120,000 purchase. But I agree, they have no obligation to pre-announce anything. Telsa is a technology company.... technology changes much faster then many other industries. And I don't think Tesla could afford to kill their P85 car sales to try to meet their expected number of car shipped by the end of the year. So I think they planned well, but didn't expect how much people would want the D. Perhaps a special P85 trade-in program would have helped. -m
I can't believe that I'm the first to point out the obvious solution to this problem. DON'T BUY A $2000 MIXER!!! I don't scrimp on kitchen appliances (or tools in general), but a $2000 mixer/food processor? Seriously?
I can't understand it myself, the car that you have is the car that you enjoyed the day before the D was released, every product that you buy will be superseded one day. Just buy everything with that expectation. At least with Tesla you get rolling software updates.
We must separate those generally feeling bad about the onward march of technology (there are those with every product), from those who have made very recent purchases and are feeling slighted for missing out and/or not getting information in the delivery process to know on which side of the fence they will end up. These people may not even have had their Model S etc. These are a different group of people from those who have had their Model S for months or years. Also, it is different to feel like missing out on D. It was public knowledge it was coming at some point and it is an optional purchase anyway - and its announcement and execution was pretty fair. People know about it, can mend orders or even refuse deliveries. But the standard addition of AutoPilot, basically a promise of self-driving car, silently to some cars and not others certainly is a different kind of dilemma that has left unhappy customers taking delivery in the unfortunate timeframe. Doing something to mend those disappointed customer experiences in that small timeframe would, in my opinion, have been wise from Tesla. p.s. This does not affect me. I'm not trying to get anything for myself.
If you tell people in one month that their product will be superseded: - You will significantly limit orders for 1 month - You will upset people who "just missed" the 1 month deadline - People will still complain about the loss of value of $expensive_item$ You cannot make everyone happy.
Did they actually miss out on much? Because, as you say yourself, autopilot is still just a promise. The sensors are there, but the laws still prohibit autonomous driving so Tesla won't turn the system on. And it could take many years for those laws to change. So maybe they didn't miss out on much anyway.
The following are things that this allows that are available in other vehicles and are the type of things that Tesla has said they will be doing: * Collision Avoidance (Emergency Braking) * Blind Spot Warnings * Adaptive Cruise Control * Speed Limit Warnings (already active) * Lane Departure Warnings (already active) * Automated Lane Keeping (i.e. car keeps you in the lane on its own not just tells you that you went out) I don't think any car can adjust speed based on speed limit signs or change lanes with just a turn signal, but I think those are just flashy demonstrations of something someone else doesn't have. If they can implement the flashy demonstrations, the above shouldn't be hard. With other manufacturers shipping cars with those features, I don't see what legal impediment there is. Another note, this is all driver assistance features, not driverless cars. Driverless cars are the legal issue. I don't believe the current sensors are sufficient to do that and neither do a lot of other people.
A recent SNL skit on expensive blenders. I think the skit would have been better if it was about half the length, but it is entertaining. Vitamix | Video | Saturday Night Live | NBC