Nice article about the Xbox360 and all the other super toys/devices that come along Chirstmas time, deliberate shortages and more... from 1up.com.

"There's a brave American tradition that happens every Christmas. The powers-that-be dub a given piece of merchandise "this season's hottest toy," sparking a stampede of consumerism as parents and grandparents rush to the stores with the aim of fulfilling a child's fondest dream (until next year). The media tends to lump video games in with toys, so it's little surprise our favorite form of entertainment gets to enjoy this holiday effect as well. There's always a certain title or console in short supply each year. It was the Nintendo DS for 2004; this year, the Xbox 360..."

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"To further complicate things, the chips used in the system are usually newly-developed, meaning the fabrication process initially results in a high percentage of duds.

Which leads to shortages. The physical limitations of manufacturing combined with the uncertainty of a new piece of hardware means initial production quantities are limited."

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Read full article at 1up.com

Via techzone.pt - Portuguese Tech Forum. Thanks to blastarr for pointing it out