Apple Reverses Retroactive Price Hikes

Apple Computer Inc. has reversed a decision to hike prices on some computers that customers already had ordered. Several Web sites for Macintosh fans posted a memo from Apple Store, Apple’s Web site for online sales, that said Apple had decided to honor the original price. A spokeswoman with Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said the price reversal also affected retail stores and other online distributors. The controversy began Wednesday, when the company said it would delay launch of its fastest G4 model due to a shortage of computer chips. Apple also said it would cancel orders from customers who before Wednesday had ordered slower G4 models but hadn’t received their machines. When customers tried to reorder, they learned that the same units would cost up to $350 more. Apple closed up $1.38 at $74.56 on Nasdaq.