Typically, the last few months of the year are filled with an avalanche of new product releases, as manufacturers scramble to fill shelves in time for the shopping season. But some don't make it. Whether it's due to poor planning, slipped deadlines, or an insensitive disregard for your gift-shopping needs, a few of the things that your friends and loved ones are most anticipating won't appear until the beginning of 2010. They're going to ask; use this list to let them down easy.
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7 Must-Have Gifts You Can't Buy This Season
DVD: 'This is It'
In most cases, the failure to get product out for the shopping season isn't for lack of trying. Sony Pictures desperately wanted to get the DVD version of Michael Jackson's final concert rehearsals in stores in time for the holidays, but movie theater owners complained that releasing the concert disc so soon after its big-screen debut would affect their ticket sales. (The planned mid-December release would have seen the DVD on shelves a mere month after its theatrical run; owners typically ask studios for a minimum of 90 days.) Sony's argument that the Jackson documentary was a special case didn't wash. The upshot? We won't be able to watch 'This Is It' in the comfort of our own homes until January or February.
Christian Charisius, Reuters
DVD: 'This is It'
In most cases, the failure to get product out for the shopping season isn't for lack of trying. Sony Pictures desperately wanted to get the DVD version of Michael Jackson's final concert rehearsals in stores in time for the holidays, but movie theater owners complained that releasing the concert disc so soon after its big-screen debut would affect their ticket sales. (The planned mid-December release would have seen the DVD on shelves a mere month after its theatrical run; owners typically ask studios for a minimum of 90 days.) Sony's argument that the Jackson documentary was a special case didn't wash. The upshot? We won't be able to watch 'This Is It' in the comfort of our own homes until January or February.
CELLPHONE: Motorola Droid
Motorola's Droid smartphone, the closest thing to a viable iPhone competitor on the market today, is available in the U.S. as of November 6. It's the first phone to use Google's much-hyped Android 2 operating system, which basically means it works and feels like an iPhone as redesigned by Google. On the hardware side, it boasts a bigger screen and a 5-megapixel camera. So what's the problem? The great white north has a history of getting shafted when it comes to new mobile technology: No Canadian release date yet. (Rogers has announced that they'll be adding "at least one" Motorola Android phone next year, but hasn't specified which one, or when -- and Motorola has promised 20 new smartphones in 2010.)
DECOR: Martha Stewart Living's Home Depot Collection
Patio furniture and closet organizers, oh my! If those don't seem like ideal Christmas gifts (even the hardiest of Canadians are unlikely to be planning many patio parties this winter, and nothing says "I love you" like the suggestion that you're messy and disorganized), why debut the same items only a month or so later, when the snow is at its deepest? Martha Stewart's newly announced partnership with Home Depot will see new Outdoor Living furniture available in January in the U.S. and February in Canada. The good news? That's just in time for Valentine's Day.
VIDEO GAME: 'Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers' and 'Bayonetta'
January is a desert wasteland as far as video game releases are concerned. Manufacturers assume that all but the most intense game geeks will still be playing through the titles they got for Christmas. Thanks to pre-release hype and a rating of 40/40 by gaming mag Famitsu when it was released in Japan, those very same game geeks will be salivating over 'Bayonetta' (Xbox 360, PS3), an action title starring a shape-shifting witch with handguns in her heels. Santa can't help you find out if you've got that particular fetish though: it hits shelves on January 5th. An even bigger head-scratcher? Fans of the of the hugely popular Final Fantasy series will be tearing their hear out at the decision to launch the latest Wii spin-off, 'Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers', on December 26th. In case it needs clarifying, that's one measly day after Christmas. ('Guitar Hero: Van Halen' doesn't do much better, but at least last-minute shoppers will be able to pick it up on the 22nd.)
CD: Vampire Weekend's 'Contra'
While there's no evidence that the New York band's sophomore album was initially scheduled for an earlier release, fans of the band's bright, buoyant pop will have to wait a couple weeks past stocking-day to see if the preppy foursome can make good on their first album's explosive hype. The missed opportunity seems kind of ironic, given that one of the tracks on the album is titled "Holiday". Fans can, however, download a one-track preview from Vampire Weekend's website.
GREEN TRANSPORTATION: The Miletto Scooter
This one's a bit of a cheat, since it won't be available in Japan until sometime next year and no North American dates have been announced. Still, how could the tree-hugger on your list not want a zero-emission scooter? The Miletto isn't the first electric scooter, but it's the cheapest we've seen: after currency conversion, it works out to about $1700 for the bike, and the charge will get you three kilometers for a penny. It's got pedals too, so those wanting to keep fit can alternate between a relaxing ride and healthy workout. Merry Christmas 2010 -- maybe.
DVD: 'This is It'In most cases, the failure to get product out for the shopping season isn't for lack of trying. Sony Pictures desperately wanted to get the DVD version of Michael Jackson's final concert rehearsals in stores in time for the holidays, but movie theater owners complained that releasing the concert disc so soon after its big-screen debut would affect their ticket sales. (The planned mid-December release would have seen the DVD on shelves a mere month after its theatrical run; owners typically ask studios for a minimum of 90 days.) Sony's argument that the Jackson documentary was a special case didn't wash. The upshot? We won't be able to watch 'This Is It' in the comfort of our own homes until January or February.
CELLPHONE: Motorola DroidMotorola's Droid smartphone, the closest thing to a viable iPhone competitor on the market today, is available in the U.S. as of November 6. It's the first phone to use Google's much-hyped Android 2 operating system, which basically means it works and feels like an iPhone as redesigned by Google. On the hardware side, it boasts a bigger screen and a 5-megapixel camera. So what's the problem? The great white north has a history of getting shafted when it comes to new mobile technology: No Canadian release date yet. (Rogers has announced that they'll be adding "at least one" Motorola Android phone next year, but hasn't specified which one, or when -- and Motorola has promised 20 new smartphones in 2010.)
UPDATE (11/11/09): Telus announced yesterday that it will carry the phone, redubbed the Motorola Milestone for the Canadian market, in "early 2010".
DECOR: Martha Stewart Living's Home Depot Collection Patio furniture and closet organizers, oh my! If those don't seem like ideal Christmas gifts (even the hardiest of Canadians are unlikely to be planning many patio parties this winter, and nothing says "I love you" like the suggestion that you're messy and disorganized), why debut the same items only a month or so later, when the snow is at its deepest? Martha Stewart's newly announced partnership with Home Depot will see new Outdoor Living furniture available in January in the U.S. and February in Canada. The good news? That's just in time for Valentine's Day.
VIDEO GAMES: 'Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers' and 'Bayonetta'January is a desert wasteland as far as video game releases are concerned. Manufacturers assume that all but the most intense game geeks will still be playing through the titles they got for Christmas. Thanks to pre-release hype and a rating of 40/40 by gaming mag Famitsu when it was released in Japan, those very same game geeks will be salivating over 'Bayonetta' (Xbox 360, PS3), an action title starring a shape-shifting witch with handguns in her heels. Santa can't help you find out if you've got that particular fetish though: it hits shelves on January 5th. An even bigger head-scratcher? Fans of the of the hugely popular Final Fantasy series will be tearing their hair out at the decision to debut the latest Wii spin-off, 'Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers', on December 26th. In case it needs clarifying, that's
one measly day after Christmas. ('Guitar Hero: Van Halen' doesn't do much better, but at least last-minute shoppers will be able to pick it up on the 22nd.)
CD: Vampire Weekend's 'Contra'While there's no evidence that the New York band's sophomore album was initially scheduled for an earlier release, fans of the band's bright, buoyant pop will have to wait a couple weeks past stocking-day to see if the preppy foursome can make good on their first album's explosive hype. The missed opportunity seems kind of ironic, given that one of the tracks on the album is titled "Holiday". Fans can, however, download a one-track preview from
Vampire Weekend's website.
GREEN TRANSPORTATION: The Miletto ScooterThis one's a bit of a cheat, since it won't be available in Japan until sometime next year and no North American dates have been announced. Still, how could the tree-hugger on your list not want a zero-emission scooter? The Miletto isn't the first electric scooter, but it's the cheapest we've seen: after currency conversion, it works out to about $1700 for the bike, and the charge will get you three kilometers for a penny. It's got pedals too, so those wanting to keep fit can alternate between a relaxing ride and healthy workout. Merry Christmas 2010 -- maybe.
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