I guess I thought this might actually tell the story of how Apple negotiated not to have the Intel inside sticker. Instead it just states that the sticker wasn't there and goes "we can only guess"
You had to apply to the Intel Inside option. You don't need to do anything to avoid it. If you are accepted, you get a kickback from Intel for every chip. Part of the condition is you put a little sticker in plain site.
Any manufacturer could have shipped their machines without the Intel inside sticker, they just wouldn't get that moneyback.
I would love to know how much each product placement in a movie cost, how much some shady third-party paid to have their bloatware installed on all new laptops from a particular vendor, how much it cost to set the default browser, how much a TV manufacturer was paid to include a "smart TV" device in their product, etc..
I bet it's not even any substantial sums, just enough to get some beancounter to push for it.
Such a shame because the hardware is nice.
The idea being that if all phones ran the same software no one would choose their phone on brand but rather on what particular phone was best suited for their needs.
But that's not good enough, manufacturers create a custom feel solely because customers will get accustomed and need to relearn if they choose another manufacturer.
It doesn't matter if their software is worse than stock (and they all are (much much) worse), the only thing that matters is that it is unique.
Or perhaps there was enough incentive for Intel to get rid of the last remaining PowerPC platform in end-user computing. Certainly in volume alone Apple doesn't represent a very significant supplier of Intel-based computers.
The post you replied to is saying "A rebate is de facto a discount."
Dell or HP sells more units, but in 300 or more SKUs each. Apple is different enough to get better terms.