Reply To: What happened to the post: “new 2023 products”

[matteventu]

I’d like to clarify one fact: while an NDA is technically “agreed to” when you enter the “official” B&O beta programme hosted on Centercode (https://tester.bang-olufsen.com/welcome/), i.e. for beta firmware updates and for — guess what — testing in-development products, the Bang & Olufsen app beta release is in no way related to that.

To have access to the beta versions of B&O app, you just need to opt-in via the Play Store or App Store page, and there’s absolutely nothing you need to agree to keep confidential. Anyone can do that freely.

So logic would say that either:

• B&O stops using the beta feature provided by App Store and Play Store (which assumes the beta releases don’t contain any confidential information that can’t be disclosed and openly discussed on the web), and implement a beta programme for the app via other means where before entering it you’re required to sign an NDA

OR

• B&O learns how to develop an app that doesn’t require an update of the whole app just to show the tile of a new product in the list of “products you can add”, which frankly is even pathetic to just mention as the current way is literally how a 5yo would develop the app (they could add the stuff “behind the scenes” in the app and not add the product to the “add product” page, or making it appear there only after a combination of “secret taps” known only by B&O employees, or very easily they could set-up the new “in development” products to appear in the “add product” list only for specific B&O user accounts that have been previously whitelisted after signing an NDA, etc, there’s thousands of ways to implement that in a way that makes sense and without repeatedly committing the same stupid mistakes)

To be clear, I’m saying this in regards to the “stuff is under NDA” comments above. No, it’s not under any NDA 🙂

 

On a separate note, I won’t comment B&O’s ridiculous attitude of reaching out to a tiny forum which basically makes up 90% of their actual brand enthusiasts, requesting to delete a thread because of “confidential” information (that confidential is no longer, once they’ve made the mistake of making it public via a public beta programme).

Oh, and to be clear, “confidential information” = literally just the names “Beo*** X” (I won’t put the actual number, so it remains confidential ?), XX-XX and XX-XX for other two products, and XXXXX XXX for a fourth one.

It’s not like their competitors can get anything useful out of the product names.

Competitor worker A: “Oh, you know, B&O is now developing a new set of [insert product category B&O operates in]”

Colleague of A: “No shit?”

The only actual thing that happens following their kind request to delete that kind of “confidential information”, is that B&O makes themselves look like complete dorks.

 

Hope the tone doesn’t offend anyone.