Seth Godin has a post on why risk free is bad for word of mouth.  I agree with his post and it got me thinking.  Beta testers like to create buzz for products when they have taken risks and tested out unstable software.  Why?  Taking a risk with a new product gives someone a feeling of ownership and investment.

If people know it has risk and you overcome the problems, you are a far bigger success story vs if you waited until the product was perfect before ever letting anyone know about it.  Even if you secretly did overcome huge obsticles.

Ultimately it depends on the product.  Airlines and mechanical hearts, I think I will take the less risky option.