NEWS - Monday, July 30, 2007
360 Most Sought After Console on Web
It is the first time searches for the Microsoft console have exceeded those of searches for Nintendo’s Wii since the latter was released in November 2006, the research firm says, adding that the findings could be ‘a leading indicator predictive of future sales growth’. However, Hitwise’s Bill Tancer, global manager of research, also said that searches can be driven by negative factors such as product recalls. So is the recent hike in Xbox 360 searches down to ‘red rings of death’ or ‘warranty extension’ searches? “Hitwise search data indicates it is not,” says Tancer, who notes that searches for ‘Xbox 360 problems’ and ‘Xbox 360 repair’ figure at No13 and No15 respectively on a list of Xbox 360 searches. Demand is also high for a price drop, the analyst says. “So what is driving the increase in searches for Xbox 360? It appears to be a combination of hype for new games, rumors of a price drop and no doubt some queries about the recent problems,” Tancer concludes.Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/
