When ever Microsoft comes out with a new OS, the prices of the older OS laptops have dropped. When Win '98, 2000, and ME came out, some stores had 'fire sales' on all machines, Laptop and Desktops that were running the previous older version of windows.
Obviously this was not profitable for those stores (especially places whom normally have big invintories like Best Buy, CompUSA, Circuit City, and Fry's) to sell these systems at such a discount. It now appears that stores have learned their lesson... If you go to your local retail store and look at the inventory they have new in the box to sell, it is tiny. My local Circuit City has 4 Laptop models for sale, but only 2 new in the box models, for a grand total of 6 Laptops in the entire store. My local Best Buy only has about 6 new in the box Laptops, but is showing about 10-12 models on the sales floor.
Basically my point is that most stores have been burned in the past when a new OS comes out becuase they have to drop the price of the systems with the older OS preinstalled drastically to get the old models out of the store. They know about this problem and as a result have been reducing their inventories of systems drasticly over the last 2 months, in preparation of new systems with Win XP preinstalled being available. In the next 2-3 weeks we will start to see new systems with Win XP preinstalled onsale, and some price cuts on the older models. However, most of the older models will be out of stock or close to out of stock, before the sale begins.