Scoble wonders how to overcome upgrade phobia. Everybody has it sometimes. Why upgrade, why fix what isn’t broken? We’re afraid to upgrade because of the unanswered question: What if it doesn’t work?

The question what if it doesn’t work usually usually has two major pieces:

• What if I can’t figure out how to use it?
• What if I want to revert back to what I know works? If you adequately address these two issues and establish your value proposition, then you’re in. Unfortunately, tech companies usually do a lousy job in both.

Most people are barely able to record with their VCR. If you want them to switch to TIVO, then you start by convincing them it will be easier to watch and record with one. And take a look at Joel’s take on how customer lock in can become prospect lock out.

[11 Apr] BTW, my personal hangup with TIVO is the value proposition. I’m ok with the product cost, but I just can’t get over the 12.95/month subscription cost. Yes, I could get the product lifetime subscription for 299, but it would be over 2 years before I recovered my money. With HDTV lurking on the horizon, I’m holding off on upgrading my video capability as long as everything works.