Living on the Edge

Just about everyone has heard of the "leading edge," that mythical place where technology is changing the way business has always been done. While it may be an exciting place to be, there is considerable risk in being a pioneer. After all, the guy out front in the battle is the most likely to collect bullets. Or, as a friend of mine likes to say, "The lead dog has to eat a lot of rocks." But, then, if you're not the lead dog, the scenery never changes. In the spirit of our ever-evolving language, here are several variations on the leading edge theme that may become commonplace as we head into the second decade of this century:

bleeding edge - not so new, but perhaps more accurate than ever. Yes, it's dangerous out there at the head of the pack. Many pioneers have found that the technology isn't really as advanced as they thought it was when they committed to the project. Unfortunately, most of the blood on the ground belongs to the poor customers who believed the engineers and sales reps. To be fair, the engineers sure thought it would all work. The sales reps trusted the engineers because they really didn't understand the technology, only the commission plan.

feeding edge - High-tech market leaders have to stay ahead of their competition. New technologies generate the high margins that feed the research and development that develops more new technologies. Once a product is no longer alone on this edge, margins drop as me-too products compete on price. The me-too’s don't have to fund the research that developed the product in the first place, so they can afford to sell for less.

fleeting edge - Now you see it, now you don't. It looked great in the ads and the press releases but by the time you call the vendor, it (either the product or the vendor) doesn't exist any more. Count your blessings. Someone else took the bullets.

greeding edge - From the customer's perspective, the high margins demanded for new-technology products may seem excessive. This is an edge vendors want to avoid.

needing edge - If there wasn't a need (at least in someone's mind) there wouldn't be any advancement in technology. If the technology doesn't develop quickly enough, there could be potential customers out there who can't get what they need at any price. Here's where greed (or enthusiasm) may overtake prudence, and hype overtakes reality. See bleeding edge.

pleading edge - Often associated with many of the other conditions mentioned above, the pleading can go in both directions. Customers beg for promised function, announced improvements or fixes, and implementation help. Vendors pray for miracles, understanding or more time.

reading edge - This is a first cousin to vaporware: you've read about it, but it doesn't exist yet. Maybe vendors have started promoting the product but are still months or more away from release. This is particularly common in the medical arena, where promising research results are published years before the necessary validation and approvals can be obtained.

weeding edge - It's rough being in the forefront. One misstep and the whole enterprise may go down the drain. High-tech companies come and go with alarming frequency. This Darwinian weeding out of the weaker contenders is also hard on the brave souls who put their trust in new products that end up as orphans. See bleeding edge.