I heard the same thing.
After reading the Apple Insider article I was left wondering why they would offer $500 off something that supposedly has "1,300 backorders". From a distribution standpoint that doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps the article just needed to be more specific...
Combined, orders for the 20 and 23-inch Cinema displays have amounted to 1,300 backorders.
As far was whether that's an indicator that things are on their way. It seems everyone is positive they are. It's just a matter of whether we're waiting one week or 2-3 months...