http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20080813PD213.html

Lite-On IT expected to ship 5 million Xbox 360 DVD-ROM drives in 3Q08

Lite-On IT has benefited from increasing sales of Xbox 360 consoles following Microsoft's lowering of prices and is expected to ship five million DVD-ROM drives for Xbox 360s in the third quarter of 2008, according to Lite-On's component suppliers.

Lite-On saw its monthly shipments volume increase to one million drives in the second quarter of 2008, the sources indicated. Microsoft has asked Lite-On to get ready to meet possible increased orders for Xbox 360 DVD-ROM drives, the sources pointed out. However, Lite-On declined to comment on any aspect of its cooperation with Microsoft, but said that its shipment volume of ODDs used in games consoles for the third quarter of 2008 will grow from the second quarter.

Lite-On's monthly shipment volume of Xbox 360 DVD-ROM drives will exceed 1.5 million units this month, and the total volume for the whole quarter will reach five million units, the sources estimated.

Thats a lot of 360s.

It's about where my prediction falls.

Q3 is probably real world Q4, right?

5 million between now and 01/01/09 is about my prediction. (25 million)

Can be the normal 4Q/X-mas effect, and Lite-on hasn't hasn't made all 360 drives in the past.
Could also be because of the expected price reduction next month.

Didn't Microsoft sell close to 5mil last year during the holidays?