Xbox 360 Launch
Here's an excerpt from an article over at IGN(http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/647/647185p1.html):
August 31, 2005 - Microsoft plans to launch the Xbox 360 as late as Friday, November 25, the day after Thanksgiving, with software potentially hitting shelves earlier that week, sources from three US retailers told IGN today.
The three retail chains, all of whom independently pointed to Friday, November 25, as the hardware launch day, received email describing launch data late Monday. Launch day games have been re-assigned from early November to Monday, November 22, as potential first day ship dates. When contacted, Microsoft would not confirm or deny the information.
Microsoft had a decent run of making entirely sound, sensible business decisions about the Xbox 360, but that run is over, it appears. Originally announcing the console at $299 with a hard drive and then backtracking into the "Core" (translation: stripped) system at that price was a public relations blunder, and launching the day after Thanksgiving will be another, if that's what they do.
Explain this to me: you have what is arguably the biggest new electronics item for the holiday season. So why do you launch it on a day when so much attention will be focused elsewhere? TERRIBLE, terrible idea. Launching on the 19th would be fine--late, but fine. Every major news outlet would have the system launch as a page one story. Launch on the 26th and you're a one sentence mention in an article about Christmas shopping.
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