Avalanche
Tremor
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This type of stuff is forever posted over in the Sony forum, so I thought I'd return the favour. Only a slight reduction, but a reduction none the less.
http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/757/757631p1.html
Late last week Microsoft announced revised Xbox 360 shipment goals for the remainder of the 2007 fiscal year. Rescinding the previous target of 13-15 million consoles by June 30, the new forecast stands at 12 million Xbox 360s. In an interview with Reuters, Microsoft's Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell stated that "We are just being cautious about the second half. It was always going to be a slow half. We've done very well in the first half. There is a reasonable amount of inventory in the channel." In other words, with many stores well stocked, it's clear that Microsoft want to concentrate on selling units through, rather than simply shipping more stock.
And that's the key here. Sales figures and shipping figures are deceptive beasts at the best of times, but even when Microsoft announced at CES in early January that they had exceeded expectations by "hitting the 10.4 million-console-sold mark", that still needs to be translated. Rather than meaning that 10.4 million consoles are sitting in homes around the world, it's our understanding that when Microsoft says "sold" it means that 10.4 million consoles have been sold on to retail. While this is still an impressive achievement, in all likelihood retailers are probably still selling quite a lot of them. With that in mind, it's not too surprising to see the shipment target reduced.
http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/757/757631p1.html
Late last week Microsoft announced revised Xbox 360 shipment goals for the remainder of the 2007 fiscal year. Rescinding the previous target of 13-15 million consoles by June 30, the new forecast stands at 12 million Xbox 360s. In an interview with Reuters, Microsoft's Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell stated that "We are just being cautious about the second half. It was always going to be a slow half. We've done very well in the first half. There is a reasonable amount of inventory in the channel." In other words, with many stores well stocked, it's clear that Microsoft want to concentrate on selling units through, rather than simply shipping more stock.
And that's the key here. Sales figures and shipping figures are deceptive beasts at the best of times, but even when Microsoft announced at CES in early January that they had exceeded expectations by "hitting the 10.4 million-console-sold mark", that still needs to be translated. Rather than meaning that 10.4 million consoles are sitting in homes around the world, it's our understanding that when Microsoft says "sold" it means that 10.4 million consoles have been sold on to retail. While this is still an impressive achievement, in all likelihood retailers are probably still selling quite a lot of them. With that in mind, it's not too surprising to see the shipment target reduced.
