that's with the assumption that they are launching in less countries due to yield problems and not to increase consoles in key countries they do better in.
A possible scenario, but one I don't think is plausible given the timeline here.
June 10 - Microsoft announces the release of Xbox One in 21 countries
August 14 - Microsoft delays the release of Xbox One in 8 of those 21 countries
I think it's very unlikely that they had strategic shift of that size, in public, this close to launch, independent of manufacturing or schedule realities. I think the single most likely development is lower than expected yields on some key components. Because 1) that's a likely event in high-tech when ramping a new product, 2) it's happened to MS before with the 360, and 3) CBOAT, who has a stellar (if not perfect) track record has indicated yield problems were behind it. That is sufficient for me to conclude what is more likely.
Remember cboat didn't ever talk about the gpu clock speed increase. If ms was having such terrible yield problems why would they increase clock speeds ? If anything speeds would decrease.[/B]
It's not at all implausible that they'd have a higher than expected number of die with a clock speed X better than they expected, but also with a
total number of die lower than expected. For instance, if the manufacturing problem is not systemic, but the result of one or more excursions/tooling issues on batches of wafers, rather than chronically poor yields. (Which is also possible.)
We obviously won't know for sure, but given what we do know, I think component issues are far more likely than a strategic shift, independent of supply issues, in a two month span.
Not being sarcastic at all. A 10% variation would be well within the normal range of error for a new chip tape out.
I'm not saying there are no yield issues. I have no idea, there may well be. However, if yields are coming in lower than expected, it does not appear to be a major problem. If it was looking like there was going to be a serious impact on production, the logical response would be to push back the launch date, not drop a couple of minor markets from the list.
10% lower yields is a pretty big hit. And to the extent that it's common to come in with low yields in a new product, it's also common practice to do your product planning around such contingency. And there was no way MS would delay the launch in total, pending truly catastrophic supply issues. Worst case scenario they would launch in NA only with the product they had. Concentrating the available supply into your most important markets is a logical response.