And once again, Apple leads the way and the rest of the PC industry clamors to catch up. This time, though, the Apple innovation being copied may surprise you: it's the "Pay More, Get Less" paradigm. You certainly remember what was unquestionably Apple's biggest PR misstep in 1999: the slowing down of the entire Power Mac G4 line, which was prematurely introduced at the original speeds of 400/450/500 MHz. After Apple's unprecedented announcement, the G4s ran at 350/400/450 MHz, and yet the prices stayed the same. To the best of our knowledge, that was the first time in history computers got slower and (effectively) more expensive instead of cheaper and faster. So much for Moore's Law.

Yet somehow Apple managed to keep its shine-- even after a painfully bungled cancellation and reinstatement of customer pre-orders for the original G4 systems. Evidently the PC industry sat up and took notice; if Apple could get away with selling less for more, then it was certainly worth a shot for them, too, right? After all, with prices spiralling ever downward and the "free PC" threatening to end sales profits completely, it's not surprising that Apple's "Pay More, Get Less" innovation would look particularly attractive. And while we didn't see press releases from other computer manufacturers trumpeting the adoption of Apple's new standard, the change did happen-- at least, according to CNET. In November, the average PC price "jumped nearly 20 percent" since the month before. Take that, consumer watchdog groups!

Now, for those of you concerned about what Apple's breakthrough sales paradigm might mean for the future of the industry, fear not-- we doubt prices are going to keep rising. In fact, Apple is expected to announce new, faster G4s at Macworld Expo in just a couple of weeks, at which point you can bet that the rest of the industry will once again follow suit and "faster and cheaper" will resume its long-held position as the status quo. Meanwhile, we're hoping that Apple patented their "Pay More, Get Less" business model, 'cause it sounds like they're due to receive some big, fat royalty checks.