"Enough of the 13 vs 72. Ms didn't release before because they knew it wouldn't help much."
Pretty much that. In the end, I don't believe it would have made a difference either way. Microsoft knew that importing would take care of any real issues, and without them having to bother with "official" launches that they weren't ready for.
The fact is, they knew that most of those countries were going to go for the PS4, anyway. They secured launch units in places they thought would be pro-Xbox first. In effect, they were conceding certain locations to Sony, much the way political parties will concede certain states they know will be against them.
Sony, on the other hand, has been a more global brand. Last gen, they depended on a more varied consumer base, which they needed to protect.
The real negatives would be in audience perception. I think Kinect came off as a scapegoat, which was yet another blow to it's already ragged image.
