American technology research analyst, Paul-Jon McNealy has said that more than half of retailers surveyed had PS3s in stock while all were out of Nintendo's Wii. The statement suggests that demand for Sony's console may be weakening as the pre-release hype dies down.
Our channel checks yesterday of 52 retail stores, from boutiques to big-box retailers, showed that 28 of the 52 stores had PS3 consoles in stock, while none had Wii consoles in stock, said the analyst. Out of the stores surveyed most that had PS3s in stock only had under 5 units while only one major retailer claimed to have a stock of 60+.
Sony was quick to respond and its spokesman, Dave Karraker, said: It isn't because demand has weakened, it is because we have kept the supply pipeline moving. He pointed out that Sony has been flying in 100,000 units per week for the U.S. market. It is however, true that Sony is still facing manufacturing issues which should have meant empty store shelves.
Sony is still facing manufacturing issues with the PS3 and it is speculated that the companmy may miss its target to ship 6 million units globally by March 2007. The company said it had shipped one million units to each, the U.S. and Japan, by the end of 2006.