macOS Apple Developer Hardware Purchase Program?

[ArtOfWarfare]

I was reading "Building iPhone OS Accessories" (2010) by Ken Maskrey (published by Apress) and I came across, at the start of chapter 9, this text:

You can generally join any Mac developer program for free at the entry level. [... description of the free program ...] For the annual price of $99, [you get] everything offered in the free membership plus one purchase through the Apple Developer Hardware Purchase Program. It may seem like a small benefit, but you can save far more than the hundred-dollar cost of membership. As a person who generally shops the refurbished area of the Apple Store looking for the best deals, I can personally attest to getting an even better deal here.

I am in the $99 Mac Developer Program... why have I never heard of the Apple Developer Hardware Purchase Program before? Was it discontinued sometime after this book was published (2010) and before I became a member (2012)? If it still exists, where can I find it? What kinds of deals are to be had? I'm certainly in the market for a new Mac (my 2007 iMac is starting to feel slow... my 2006 MacBook Air is definitely slow.)

Edit: This is an iOS book, but the author goes off on a tangent about Apple's other developer programs in chapter 9 in which he mentioned this.

 

[lloyddean]

That was offered as part of an earlier Apple Developer Program but was discontinued March 5, 2010 when the current program was put in place.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Back in the days the hardware discount alone could cover most of your $500 ADN fees. It was pretty cool.