Getting All 1,700 Parts of the Xbox 360 to Market

Carl Bialik from the WSJ writes "Microsoft is hoping its Xbox 360 will further the company's goal to 'link the Web and entertainment of all forms in consumers' living rooms,' the Wall Street Journal reports, but 'one manufacturing misstep -- a shortage of graphics chips or a recalled hard drive -- could derail those ambitions and drag Microsoft's unprofitable videogame business even deeper into the red.' The WSJ traces the 1,700 parts that go into the device through the supply chain -- from two southern China factories, Rotterdam, and on to Toledo, Memphis, and ultimately, retailers in the U.S. -- and looks at what could go wrong along the way."

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Microsoft Owns the Rights on All the Components

[MLopat]

That's right, we got the rights to all the components. That includes the CPU, wireless hardware, the bridges and even the GPU. So, if anyone along the way in the supply chain screws up by providing flakey hardware or limiting supply, we get a new supplier.

If you look at the Anandtech review where they disassemble the 360, you'll notice every component is branded with the Microsoft logo!