It's not just their flagship products. It extends to nearly _everything_ they release.

I have a relatively small workforce and office management platform. When MS Places was announced, we thought it was the end. We had a good run, but now one of the big players has entered the market and will wipe out all competition with a single swipe.

Anyway, it sucks. Potential customers who had waited for months tried to use it and immediately sought alternatives. Existing customers who told us they tried to use it and for one reason or another, gave up.

But it seems Microsoft's MO has been 'customer driven testing' for as long as i can remember.