I think what muddies the waters here is Google's track-record with "beta" products. Namely, now-standard things like Gmail were technically in beta forever, but

I think what muddies the waters here is Google's track-record with "beta" products. Namely, now-standard things like Gmail were technically in beta forever, but were practically speaking consumer-ready products by the time people were buzzing about it. Not that I don't agree with your original point (I do), but I think the above is perhaps a relevant peek into the author's mindset.