Sony told to drop price or PSP to sleep with fishies?

Check out where Sony only shipped 10,000 units in Q3 to NA:

http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/fr/06q3_eleki.pdf

Something isn't right...though I agree with the fly and the elephant comment

 

Regardless of sales or whatever, I'm pretty sure a big company like Sony would never accept a "threat" like that.

 

Well it also depends on how big the retailer is.

 

And they sold 1.5+ million PSPs.

 

? They only shipped 10,000 units but they sold 1.5 million?

Perhaps their retailer channel is so saturated, that they can ship so little. Or, perhaps Sony is trying to dry out the cannel in order to release a re-design.

 

According to NPD (+ Canada) yes, they did.

 

The point isn't to dispute the number sold. The point is that Sony only shipped 10,000 units to a territory that sold 1.5 million units. It raises the questions that I've already posted: was the channel just completely saturated for over-shipping from Sony? Or is Sony drying out the channel in order to release an updated unit?

 

Why would you ship only 10,000 if there's 1.5 million sitting on shelves? Wouldn't it be better to not ship any, or add that 10,000 to a consignment for a less saturated territory?

Or could it be a token shipping to maintain a contract? Like those planes that fly with no passengers in order to keep the timetable slots at the airport?

 

Honestly I can't figure that one out. That number is so low as to be almost unbelievable. The most reasonable thought is that they are flushing the channel (including whatever they may have in their warehouses which might account for the 10k shipment), all in preparation for the re-design.