I can almost without doubt propose the NYC N900 stock was a PR stunt to get some of the heat off of their rather pi55 poor launch. This way, they were not technically wrong that N900's "had landed" in the US for customers.

Nokia US is probably covering their butts with a little smoke.

Added:

I also suggest all of the price reductions we are seeing is to offset orders from being canceled. Prices usually do not drop on a new device before launch. They tend to stay closer to retail for the first six months of launch- mainly due to supply issues, since if a success, manufacturers ramp production up then. They are more cautious at launch until they understand the actual SELL TROUGH demand.

The current delay is probably more due to Nokia's poor operational structure to execute a smooth launch rather than huge global demand.