What happens when we pre-announce and then miss the date? Your stock loses value... as does your credibility. And how often is this a result of internal decisions rather than external market forces?
A spokesperson for Apple announced that their new Apple TV set top box is delayed. "Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected, and we now expect to begin shipments mid-March," spokeswoman Lynn Fox said. And Apple shares fell in after-hours trading.
When will we learn?
Many marketing departments like to announce at big shows or conferences but did Apple need to announce at MacWorld? Was anyone clamoring for an Apple TV device? But now that the cat's out of the bag, reporters and analysts will measure Apple by their ability to deliver.
The (in)famous Gartner "magic quadrant" rates companies on their vision and their ability to execute. Did Apple's dot just slip? What about your company? We hear frequently that sales and marketing and executives love to preannounce for many reasons but what if the product managers and developers cannot deliver?
Communicating your roadmap externally only makes sense when the internal team has confidence in the dates. Do yours?
