Apple to cut new Macbook prices?

There is a new report today that possibly due to the economic downturn Apple will begin offering Macbooks starting at $800.00.

This is $300.00 below their current lowest priced model. No doubt this will make the Macbooks more appealing to budget minded consumers if it is true, but at $800.00 the machines would still be almost twice the price of entry level PC laptops from Compaq and Toshiba that can be found on sale and rebate specials in big box retail stores. Mac afficianados will likely reply that the hardware and performance you get from a Macbook would be worth the money. This may well be correct, but if the economic crisis really plays on peoples' wallets as expected, it is going to be a hard sell to make even with the lower Macbook prices taken into consideration.