Confirmed: Asia Pacific launch delayed

The rumors were true; the impending launch of the Xbox 360 in Australia and New Zealand, as well as Hong Kong and Singapore (Taiwan?) will be delayed several weeks. From their statement:

In Hong Kong and Singapore, the Xbox 360 will now be released on March 16, 2006. In Australia and New Zealand, the new launch date is March 23, 2006.

The new launch dates have been set due to unprecedented global consumer demand stemming from challenges in ramping supply for a complex product like the Xbox 360. This is a short term manufacturing challenge and steps have been taken to increase supply to meet the strong consumer demand for the console.

Surely a frustrating situation for anyone waiting to get their mitts on one; however, with the current shortages, for those couple weeks, 360s might have been pretty scarce anyways. We're guessing the launches in Mexico, Colombia, and Korea are still scheduled for February then.