The MacBooks start at $1100, which still is pretty high, but if you check the specs, you'll see that it's a fair price, especially when you consider the software package you're buying. With BootCamp, a new bit of Apple software, you can easily dual boot between OSX and Windows, for those of you that have Windows software you must use.
I'm personally going to try and make sure my parents and my in-laws upgrade to MacMinis when it comes time for them to upgrade. "How do I get pictures off my camera?" "You plug it in." "How do I get online?" "You plug it in." "How do I install software?" "The icon shows up when you download it. Drag it to your Applications folder. Done." "How did you make that slideshow?" "I pushed that button. Yes, just that one."