Ouch... Replacement PS3 backordered

My PS3 finally arrived in the Sony Tech Support offices. It took a week for the packaging to arrive from Sony, and 2 days for the Playstation 3 to get back to them (via UPS Next Day Air). Unfortunately, this message was waiting for me on Sony's Repair Status page:

"Due to high demand, your unit is currently on backorder. The quoted turn-around-time for product exchange through our PlayStation(R) Exchange Center (PEC) is approximately 7-15 business days from the time we receive your unit, not including shipping and handling time. Due to the current backlog the turn-around-time may exceed the quoted 7-15 business days. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience."

1-2 weeks to get my PS3 back, and on the day of Grand Theft Auto IV's release! I wonder why replacement PS3s are backordered? Is Sony experiencing a huge influx of dead 60GB units, or is it simply because there aren't enough refurbished units available? I'd be happy with a newer 80GB unit of course; I'm pretty worried about paying for this replacement PS3 when I'm just going to receive another first-generation piece of hardware.

I should note that before sending my PS3 in, I ran the PS3 Backup utility and stored it on an external hard drive. The whole process took about an hour. Additionally, I copied all my game saves to the hard drive individually. My hope is that when I do a Restore on the new system, all the downloaded games I purchased will get restored as well. This way I won't have to download them again, and will save one of the 5 downloads available for titles purchased on the Playstation Store.