Hi Jerry:
Since we're speculating on what may be the motivation, consider this scenario as one possibility:
Mr. Rockwell is well aware of the controversy over his "reviews" of equipment which he has not actually used or even touched;
Mr. Rockwell is well aware of the controversy over his pronouncements on what is "good" and "bad" in photography;
Mr. Rockwell is well aware that he is regarded in some quarters as a Nikon "shill";
The ongoing controversy, particularly the frequent and usually heated threads on various internet photography forums, generates additional traffic to his website, which enhances his position with his sponsors;
But that same controversy is not entirely of the quality or supportive nature that Mr. Rockwell needs to get click throughs to his sponsors' websites. His sponsors are understandably and ultimately interested in selling, rather than controversy, because they too are businesses;
Mr. Rockwell is a savvy businessman and an effective self-promoter. He understands that at time his personal preferences, and even his ego, must yield to commercial reality;
In order to improve his credibility and lessen the controversy, and in order to further improve the cash flow, Mr. Rockwell, like most business people, decides to adapt;
In order to diminsh the roar of pesky people who find his methods and opinions questionable, and to further enhance his credibility, Mr. Rockwell realizes that he must include more "pixel-peeping" and "measurebating" type of information in his "reviews", even if he has repeatedly ridiculed this approach in the past, partly to excuse the lack of empirical testing in his "reviews" (difficult to do without actually having the equipment);
Mr. Rockwell also realizes that he must tell people that he has actually had a sample to test, for this purpose;
Mr. Rockwell, an intelligent man, realizes that there are indeed differences between fiction, speculation, and a review;
Mr. Rockwell, upon the advice of his lawyers, has already included disclamatory language on his website, and in his reviews and essays, explaining that he usually has not actually used the equipment in question, and that his writings shouldn't be treated any more seriously than graffiitti in a bathroom, and that he merely does it for "fun";
Mr. Rockwell realizes that these truthful acknowledgements are only feeding his detractors, even if his fans seem to miss their significance;
Mr. Rockwell realizes that he must do some real work and actually test some equipment if he is going to continue to be successful in the competitive and fast changing world of the internet;
Mr. Rockwell realizes his competitors -- hard working, knowledgeable, and careful photographic website owners like Phil Askey, Tom Hogan, etc. -- who he has implicitly ridiculed as "pixel peepers" and "measurebators", aren't going to go away just because of his innuendo about people like them;
Mr. Rockwell has been seduced by the real qualities of his new D200, and, depsite herculean efforts to resist, he cannot but admit that equipment may not make a difference, but it sure is fun. His loyal D70 is quickly forgotten;
Mr. Rockwell writes a "hands on review" for a "production sample", expecting to get a lens from Adorama because he ordered one on November 1, 2005;
The "hands on" lanaguage is, in Mr. Rockwell's view, justified, because he was handed a D200 with an 18-200, by a Nikon rep, for a few minutes at a show or store, or he played with a pre-production sample;
Mr. Rockwell has an arrangement to promote Adorama and has links from his website and "reviews"l to them (with a fee generating agreement);
Pursuant to his arrangement with Adorama, Mr. Rockwell includes links in his 18-200 "review" to the Adorama website, and says he has ordered the lens from them;
Mr. Rockwell also includes language in the beginning of his review, accusing Adorama's competitors of price-gouging, and erroneously assuring his fans that the lens can now be purchased from Adorama for $40 below MSRP - $669.00;
The review, like most of his prior ones, is based heavily upon Nikon's press kit and specifications, and Mr. Rockwell's strong opinions about what he likes and doesn't;
Mr. Rockwell also takes into account his strong "leaning toward" Nikon, which may also be commercially enhanced;
Mr. Rockwell doesn't receive the lens when the review is written, but he publishes the review anyway, because the 18-200 is likely to turn out to be a 'hot" lens and his fans are clamoring to know what he thinks of it;
Mr. Rockwell expects to receive a lens by 12/23, because he sees or hears that Nikon is starting to ship the first ones to its dealers, before that date;
Mr. Rockwell prepares an updated review, stating that he has now received the lens from his 11/1/05 order, and adds that to his website on 12/23;
Mr. Rockwsell still does not receive his lens, on 12/23 or 12/24, because, despite their best efforts, Adorama has not received any pieces, not even a demo (which Adorama does not request and which Nikon is not in the policy of sending to its resellers);
Christmas passes without a delivery of the 18-200 lens;
Adorama finally receives the first 18-200s from Nikon on 12/26. One of the lenses is sent to Mr. Rockwell, who receives it shortly thereafter.
Merely idle speculation, mind you, but you asked for it ; )
Best wishes for the New Year.
Tony
