Microsoft Schooled By eBayers?

Ah, the holidays. There's nothing like that pesky giving and charitable spirit being kept in check by greed, violence, and opportunism. Have the Xbox 360 muggings, price gouging, and all around hysteria taught Microsoft a valuable lesson in pricing? Maybe, but as bids on eBay reach $5,000 for the new $400 console, Microsoft has taught everyone a lesson about timing. Microsoft learned a sore lesson in timing during the last great console push. The original Xbox game console arrived too late. Sony managed to get their mega-popular PlayStation 2 on the market before Christmas and Xbox never caught up. Not about to make the same mistake twice, the so-called "Beast of Redmond" was sure to: 1. Hype the new console three quarters in advance where the right demographics would receive the message. 2. Release the thing in time for Christmas. 3. Beat Sony's monstrously high-tech PlayStation 3 to the market by months, rather than days or weeks. So far, that strategy has worked for Microsoft. In North Dakota, a 17-year-old boy, being one of the first to purchase the console at 12:01 AM Tuesday, found himself robbed at gunpoint by a thief who made off with two of the consoles. He was arrested shortly after. The console is page of Xbox 360 listings and you'll see "Buy It Now" options for over $3000. One can't touch PS3-the patient and prudent will wait for the PS3, if you feel you can