The problem is that companies are trying to change the purpose into creating a new revenue stream. That's the key point you seem to be missing.
I was replying to his comment about demos. You're obviously talking about early access. I'm not the one missing things here.
Steam Early Access, or other similar setups (such as what VD's doing with AoD), should basically be considered a pre-order, where they give you alpha/beta access to the game as a side benefit. It's not a replacement for a free demo, nor is it a new revenue stream. It's just a replacement for pre-orders.
See… he gets it.