Best Buy dropping 20gig PS3s?

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/17/best-buy-done-with-ps3-20gb/

"The hard evidence is starting to flow in that retailers have had
about enough from the PS3's 20GB model. A Best Buy employee sent us a
printout from their computer system showing the status of the 20GB
model as "discontinued." We confirmed the printout information by
contacting three separate stores. This does not mean the 20GB PS3
model's production has been discontinued -- just that Best Buy will no
longer carry it.

When Joystiq spoke with Sony's David Karraker earlier this week he
told us, "Overwhelmingly, retailers have been requesting the 60GB
model, the mix has been about 80 percent 60GB, 20 percent 20GB
retailer orders." With Best Buy's decision to no longer carry the
unit, a major retailer has walked away from the 20GB table, obviously
the margins were better on the 60GB model. Sony says they are still
producing 20GB models."

My comment:

Clearly Sony only even bothered with the 20 gig model to make the PS3
look more affordable. A $100 difference over the 360 is esier to
market than a $200 difference. Also, that magical 'From $499" on the
advertising makes a lot better reading than $599.

But nobody wants the 'tard version, and nobdy wants to sell it, least
of all Sony. They are desperatly trying to claw back some of that loss
- so getting rid of the highest loss maker model, plus removing the
emotion engine/ps2 hardware will make for a cheaper console to sell.

Either way, I think this is BAD news - it meas the PS3 price of entry
is just that bit more, and thus even more ridiculous.

Europeans don't even get the option of the 20 gig model.

My conspiracy theory is that Best Buy is up to something; it's not
that people don't want the 'tard packs (I think they do; I'd get the
20GB PS3 over the 60GB version, at any rate). I was trying to track
down a 360 Core unit this weekend, and I was told by one of the drones
that all they had were the premium bundles -- he said he hadn't seen a
Core for months. Down the road at Circuit City, they had at least
three Core packages in stock right at the store ... so it wasn't like
MS wasn't supplying them. One could readily conclude that BB is
attempting to squeeze the higher margins on the more expensive console
SKU. Again, though, this is just a conspiracy theory I've cooked up;
there may be no merit to it.