Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox console may be a hit with the video game market, but underneath the features is a revolution in how consumer electronics companies can approach a design chain. Eschewing "business as usual" in the consumer electronics space, the Redmond, Wash., software giant formed unusually close bonds with a select group of vendors to successfully meet delivery dates. Design chain techniques typically associated with other industries let the group achieve this goal while remaining faithful to the design goals dictated by business requirements.
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