Maybe in anticipation of Apple's announcement that it would be releasing a new version of the Macbook, Dell slashed the price of one of its laptops, which, if you look closely, seems to compete directly against the new Apple machine.

Cnet reports: The Round Rock, Texas-based PC maker is selling an Inspiron E1505 notebook with an Intel T2300 Core Duo processor, 1GB of memory, an 80GB drive, a 15.4-inch screen and a DVD burner for $699 on Monday, down from the usual price of $1,234. A similar notebook from Toshiba on CompUSA's site sells for $1,249, while a similar Hewlett-Packard sells for $1,199. Gateway clocks in at $999.

The PC maker may just be feeling the heat a little bit, now that Apple seems intent on making a sizeable dent in overall desktop and laptop sales. The fact that the new Macbooks seem to rival the features-set of much more expensive units will surely serve to drag down prices on any machine that competes against it, much like the lowering cost of the iPod over the years has had an effect on competitor prices.

Dell for years seemed unbeatable. It may have finally met its match.