Bleeding Edge

Last Updated: August 18, 2011

Definition - What does Bleeding Edge mean?

Bleeding edge refers to technology that has been released but is still not ready for the general public due to the fact that it has not been reliably tested. Bleeding edge technology is released in beta to early adopters in order to smooth out compatibility issues, user interface problems and other underlying design flaws and bugs that slipped through early testing.

Techopedia explains Bleeding Edge

Bleeding edge is part pun and part ranking of the readiness of the technology for market. Bleeding edge technology is on its way to becoming cutting edge technology, after which it becomes leading edge as more companies release competing products. Finally, the technology becomes standard and everyone is on the look for the next big thing.

Bleeding edge technology suggests that a greater degree of risk is involved for the consumers or organizations that adapt it. This risk could take the form of limited support, uncaught problems and compatibility issues to name a few.

The term bleeding edge is sometimes applied to officially released technology that experiences problems soon after it becomes widely available. However, the term is more properly applied to the release of beta versions to early adopters for testing purposes. Early adopters of bleeding edge technology are highly valued by companies because they allow unfinished products to be refined much more quickly once a working version is ready.