Microsoft Plan To Counter iMacs?

I was at my local MicroCenter today to pick up a Mac/PC monitor adapter, a quick $13 item or so I thought. Holy mole! The store was swamped with people. There was a line starting at the entrance and going all around the back of the store to the farside cashier, mostly. One could hardly walk the aisles. At first I thought it was just the mob getting Microsoft Office 2000 that just came out. However, I noticed that everyone in line seemed to have an eMachines or PowerSpec (MicroCenter Brand) branded computer (or several!) in their shopping cart and no copy of Office 2000. Since they seemed to be directed to the last cashier except for a few rebels, I grabbed an adapter and got in a shorter but still long line. The guy behind me, a line rebel, was lugging one of the eMachines so I asked him, why the mob buying eMachines and PowerSpecs? He said that flyers and coupons were handed out in his neighborhood that stated if you signed up for Microsoft internet service that MS would give you $400 towards a computer. Of course, the eMachines and PowerSpecs were selling for $399. He flashed me the coupon as proof. I asked him who passed out the coupons? He shrugged his shoulders and said "Microsoft". Can this be Microsoft's anti-iMac strategy on the very weekend that features the Sears rollout? Buy people a Windows computer instead? Only a zillion dollar company headed by a near $100 billion CEO would think of such a thing AND be able to carry it off.