$599 would be a safer bet than $499. But then, it's creeping into the pricerange of other mid-range laptops that often compete with the MacBook. Some people like bigger screens and more comfortable keyboards. So the niche of the netbook as a second computer starts to collapse, when it's priced just as much as a full-fledged, full-featured laptop that's far more powerful. The products have different appeals, but consumers tend to be driven by the more-bang-for-your-buck heuristic.
A $499 price point, though, would seem a bit too low for Apple. As previously mentioned the 32GB iPod touch is already $400. Nowadays it's an outrageous price for an MP3 player. I don't even know anyone who has one. And as for my iPhone, which I paid about $400 for... if there was an Apple netbook for $499, I'd gladly purchase that instead, and keep my existing phone. A $499 pricepoint would cannibalize some iPhone/iPod touch sales for sure. They are inherently different products (notebooks, MP3 players, phones), but most people already own two of these things. Again, more bang for your buck.
Although I would love for them to come out with one. If it was priced appropriately (figure $579... creeping on that golden $600 mark), I'd jump on it. And it better have at LEAST a 5-cell. The 3- and 4-cells on most netbooks are awful. I was lucky to get a 6-cell on my Acer, which cost me a measly $399... a fantastic deal for sure. I don't think Apple can match the pricepoint. Sure, it'll be aluminum and pretty, but this is an impulse buy of a second computer we're talking about.
Apple just can't play its cards properly without destroying some other part of their product line. There's no magic price point that puts an Apple netbook far enough away from both the iPhone/iPod and the MacBook.
