Lower priced Apple laptop on the way?

Apple has long felt the need to not compete with the low end Windows PC market. I've always been frustrated by this. Not competing in the low end market has caused Apple to delay market share gains. Now, if you're not a shareholder or Apple evangelist that may not matter much to you. The fact is, many consumers can't look beyond price. They look at a $500 PC laptop and compare it to a $999 Mac and it all looks the same. So the customer goes with the lower priced machine. Computer store employees recommending PCs, know nothing about Macs and slam Apple for offering overpriced computers without understanding the value of OS X, iLife, etc... Apple needs to move beyond, or actually below, their minimum standard. They need to compete, or at least be competitive, with the low end PC market in some way. True, the profit margins are slim on the low end, but a low end Mac is like a gateway drug to even greater and more powerful Macs. The trick is just getting people in the door and exposing them to some Apple goodness. The research firm Wedge Partners is predicting that Apple may get into the low end space. No one knows if that's true or what the endeavor would look like, but it's one I would welcome! What do you think?