This doesn't explain the shortages at all, or more to the point, it doesn't really touch on when they will end at all. It may explain why the shortages are greatest in the US, and why the Americas is the only region that has not passed game cube in sales.

Game Cube:

America: 12.7 Million
Other: 4.7 Million
Japan: 4 Million

America Percentage for GC 59%

Wii:

America: 10 Million
Others: 7.4 Million
Japan: 5.7 Million

America Percentage for Wii 43%

Do you really think gaming became less popular in America this generation?

 Americans still buy more games than any other country and it is a bigger market to sell games to.

No, but it (it being console gaming) became more popular in Europe, which affects America's percentage.

Gaming being more popular in Europe doesn't explain the fact that you can find a Wii in many European countries without much difficulty but in America it is impossible to find a Wii sitting on the shelf.

Well that just because, the Wii is more popular in Europe.

What he says makes sense on the first look, but not on the second. If we take ioi numbers seriosly (And I have no reason to doubt it that much) than there are less Wii sold than produced. Yes europe is getting a nice share but if you look at shipment numbers from Nintendo, the Americas are getting 45% of the Wii's. Shouldn't be that enough? I mean its a lot! So I just need one number to take pachter down: 45%, just look up :)

I was replying to the post I quoted, about percentages. I didn't say it explains it (although it compounds the problem).

That kind of brings us to the starting square, doesn't it? The essential question is whether Nintendo wants to increase the importance of Europe to their business, which raises questions about why they give America more importance in terms of game releases. If they released games earlier in Europe, they'd sell more consoles in Europe, which (according to the theory) would be their objective.

OR demand is just greatest in the US as it was for the cube.

While it is an interesting point, millions more Wii have been sold in the US than others or Japan.

I think Japan has had special treatment, but Europe an the US have both had major shortages.

Insane stupid nonsense.
I suppose that explains why the Nintendo DS weakest market is the USA right? BS!
Sometimes I wonder if these people even have a brain.
Nintendo DS showed Nintendo that Japan and Europe are bigger markets to sell videogames than the USA, at least in the early days of the console, with Nintendo's strategy. So they gave NA less consoles than usual, but NA still gets the most Wii.
Didn't you notice that USA is the weakest market for Nintendo's strategy?
Blame the XB360 rather than blaming some stupid scheme involving dollars.

Also, as others said, if that dollar BS was true, NA wouldn't have been the first to get the console at launch.

Finally, we have to take note that this release was worldwide for once.