NEWS - Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Microsoft Could Beat 10M Target
The goal has been consistently reiterated by Microsoft execs, as investors and industry watchers ponder whether or not Microsoft will meet the target. When news agency Bloomberg asked Moore if Microsoft is "likely to beat" the target, he responded "Yes. All indications are that we came off a very strong Thanksgiving holiday." He didnt say by how much the company may exceed the forecast, nor did he update the goal. Just yesterday, Next-Gen reported on how Microsoft chief financial officer Chris Liddell also believes that the company can sell 10 million Xbox 360s by the end of the Christmas season. A week prior to that in Scottsdale, Arizona, he said Microsoft "feels very good" about hitting the target. Analysts feel that holiday shoppers may opt to snatch up Xbox 360s in lieu of the relatively hard-to-find PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Moore also told Bloomberg, "The key is were in stock, were available, were delivering well to retail. Certainly the consumer is recognizing the fact that we have a great price point as well as 160 games available and that flies in the face of our competition." Nintendo has said that it will have 4 million Wiis on store shelves worldwide by the end of calendar 2006, while Sony aims to ship around 2 million globally in the same time frame.Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/