“The tech world is abuzz with reports that Apple is preparing to introduce an inexpensive personal computer, with a price tag below $600… To some observers, the introduction of such an inexpensive PC, priced at less than half of Apple’s current crop of iMacs, is more wishful thinking than fact. For one thing, Apple’s design aesthetic has been moving away from the clunkyness of separate screens and hard drives,” Suzanne Kapner reports for The New York Post.

“The company’s line of eMacs, for instance, combine the screen and hard drive into a single unit for as little as $799, raising questions as to the actual savings a cheaper ‘headless’ iMac would provide once the cost of the screen is included. Moreover, the rumor mill tends to work over time in the tech world ahead of Apple’s expo. Last year at this time, for instance, speculation swirled that Apple would unveil a $100 iPod, but that bit of gossip never materialized. Still, analysts said, there are compelling reasons for Apple to introduce a more affordable entry level PC, not least of which is the popularity of the company’s iPod digital music player, which crossed over this holiday season from an item favored by techies to one with mass appeal,” Kapner reports.

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: If this is just a rumor someone made up, it’s now taken on a life of its own. Certainly Apple, even if they weren’t planning such an entry-level machine, are right now taking notes about the wildfire spread of this story and people’s reactions to the possibility of just such a Mac being available.