Re:Google News (Score 1)

Actually, I think that is incorrect and probably why certain things (e.g. at Google) likely remain in Beta for a long time. GAAP requires different rules between released and unreleased products, not whether or not a "profit" is being made. My understanding is that for something in beta (or unreleased), the cost of goods sold comes from company expenses (e.g. R&D budget) as opposed to revenues. This basically means that unreleased "products" impact the income and not the profit of the company. It also impacts where a company must account for reservations to cover risk (for example, if they were to be sued because of Google News or other "product") required due to "selling" an unreleased product. I do not know the exact GAAP rules for when a product moves from beta to release but it is not whether or not the product makes a profit.

Google's case is a little different since they do not actually "sell" some of the services they offer (notably Google News) but the general rules still apply and are likely why some things remain labeled Beta.