You've got to define entry-level somehow, so if we can all agree that listing the Deore-equipped bikes in the marketplace is a compromised but necessary starting point for the exercise, we can move on to how to discuss what we see shaping up here.
Some of the bikes on the list have price as the one and only saving grace. Some have more serviceable parts, and some will be just fine for a season or two under normal use. My idea of an ideal entry-level bike includes paying at least some attention to the total cost of ownership and return on investment. How much will I need to replace during the first season just to maintain functionality, and how much will I feel the need to upgrade to insure that the performance and reliability of the bike is not the limiting factor in my fun-per-money spent equation?
What I don't see on this list is a relatively inexpensive Asian-made steel 29'er with a Deore gruppo, rigid fork and good tires. Bombproof seatpost. Pedals that don't suck. Brakes that work correctly. Moving parts that can be serviced rather than simply replaced.
The feel of good quality steel does not go out of style, and the larger wheels will more than mitigate the lack of a cheap suspension fork at this price point.
With that kind of starting point the rider might eventually become interested in adding a FS trailbike, or 26" DJ bike, or a roadie, or something else, but they wouldn't necessarily feel the need to upgrade the heck out of the entry-level bike because other than a bit too much weight, there would be nothing basically sucky with it to begin with. That can not be said of the majority of the bikes currently on the list.
