The only "surprise" here is that the blogger was unaware of this fraud until this point. This has been a common tactic for years in any business line where the

The only "surprise" here is that the blogger was unaware of this fraud until this point. This has been a common tactic for years in any business line where there are plural retail outlets available selling the otherwise identical item. Each "outlet" negotiates a different, outlet specific, model number from the manufacturer, such that they can 1) offer price matching without actually having to ever price match anything and 2) convince the uninitiated that somehow their "model" is different, better, faster, softer, etc. than the other outlet's "model". When in reality, both "models" are produced on the exact same assembly line, and the only difference is at the very end, outlet #1 has model number 1 attached, and outlet #2 has model number 2 attached. You'll find this tactic in wide use in the furniture and mattress sales arena. The exact same piece of furniture is a different "model" depending on which retail outlet you shop in, or the identical mattress is a different "model" depending on which mattress retail store you are standing inside. If anything, it was simply a matter of time before the computer and electronics retail market picked up on the tactic and started utilizing it.