The Mac was released in January of 1984. These are prices from Christmas of 1984 - several months after the Mac was released. The design of the Mac began in 1982, when the C64 was retailing for $595 and was seriously affecting Apple II sales. What these catalog prices reveal is the impact the Mac had on C64 sales in a very short period of time, which forced Commodore to respond with the Amiga. But that's a story for another day.
Yeah, you just neglected to mention it was the arrival of the Mac that forced Commodore to slash their prices by over 66%. That "bottom feeder" you spoke of is the top-selling machine in history and was a major factor in Apple's pivot. Maybe it's just me but I think those facts are important in understanding the why's and wherefore's for how we got to where we are now.