The third paragraph of the Macintosh Performa Wiki has some information of interest. I personally disagree with the author's consensus in the 3rd sentence of paragraph-3 and feel that the reasons for the Performa line's failure is more accurately spelling out in the 5th and 6th sentences. I always felt the Performa brand was an Apple marketing gimmick.

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I tend to agree. The attempt to create different models for different retailers, by bundling the same hardware with slightly varying "extras", only creates suspicion in consumers.

Some manufacturers still do it. The other day, two work colleagues were checking the price for a TV offered at a good price in Spain. The exact model was only available from one Spanish retailer, but the generic model and "retailer specials" were available across the EU.