I don't know what this analyst is talking about specifically but it definitely seems to me like the 360 has lost momentum, perhaps not in terms of raw sales but still. There are more consoles overall being sold right now and the 360 is taking a smaller portion of that larger number than it was last year.
Just as an example, the first 6 months of 2007 MS claimed 22.09% of the console market, but this year that number has slipped to 20.62%. The fact that they increased raw sales is a good thing certainly but when your competitors also increase raw sales over the same period and more than you did as well, then it is fair to say there may have been a loss in momentum. In this situaiton the increase in raw sales is not sufficient to determine momentum because the increase effected everyone not just you.
The underlying point is that the increase in sales for all consoles is due to global market factors and not just MS's momentum. A good analogy perhaps would be inflation and income, you can't just directly compare your income with that of someone working in 1950. While the units may be the same the scale is not.
Just to throw some raw number weight behind this:
| First 6 months | Total | ||||
| 2007 | % | 2008 | % | ||
| 360 | 2,397,432 | 22.09% | 3,695,503 | 20.62% | 6,092,935 |
| PS3 | 2,512,322 | 23.15% | 4,966,312 | 27.70% | 7,478,634 |
| Wii | 5,942,801 | 54.76% | 9,263,120 | 51.68% | 15,205,921 |
| 10,852,555 | 100.00% | 17,924,935 | 100.00% | 28,777,490 |
A fair point to make here is that even the Wii appears to have lost some position, so perhaps the real story is just that the PS3 increase changes the relative perception. Whatever it is its not as clear cut as just looking at raw numbers. There is a lot more to momentum then that.
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| To Each Man, Responsibility |
