Way back when truly limited releases of 2,300 pairs or 23,000 pairs or you pick the limited number made sense because they created the feeling of exclusivity and hype that helped build the brand and establish prestige. If you look at where the brand is today, it makes perfect sense why these SUPER limited releases have all but disappeared. The last Premio/Bin dropped 2/18/11. The last online-only release happened years ago. So to assume 25K pairs or less, especially when people have mentioned confirmations from at least a few local retailers, makes little sense at all with where the brand is in 2013.
Furthermore, if you aren't going to acknowledge this release until 1-3 weeks before it happens, clearly part of the strategy is to see how many pairs of NA they can sell without any extensive marketing or year-long hype. It's certainly no coincidence that a Feb. drop didn't even show up on the radar until January. It almost feels as though they're trying to wipe the slate clean and see what kind of success a little-hyped, recently released shoe can have. Limiting numbers doesn't exactly jive with that strategy/experiment.