Fueling the rumors are several reports claiming 'x' manufacturer is supplying the screens or 'y' company is supplying flash memory for the production of a low-cost Apple netbook (or tablet). This week, in an effort to put all these rumors to rest, Apple’s COO Tim Cook reiterated a point Steve Jobs made during an earnings call in 2008: the company is in no way interested in making a netbook.
“We don’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk,” Jobs said late last year. During that same call, Cook said that Apple wouldn’t produce low-end phones and that it doesn't want to be the market leader when it comes to the number of units sold. Apple wants to make the best phone possible, period. Yesterday Cook revealed just how much he hates netbooks and finished by telling analysts (once again) that budget netbooks is not a segment Apple wants to be a part of.
“When I look at netbooks, I see cracked keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens,” he said. “It’s just not a good consumer experience and not something we would put the Mac brand on. It’s a segment we would not choose to play in.”
According to VentureBeat, when asked about compact devices for browsing and email, Cook pointed out that the iPhone and iPod Touch are both suitable, adding that he thought calling a netbook a personal computer was “a stretch.”
When we heard Steve’s comments last year, we immediately assumed that because the company “didn’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk,” Apple would manufacturer a UMPC (similar to Sony’s P Series Lifestyle PC) and charge customers around $800-$900. However, Cook’s comments make it sound like Apple is against the idea of netbooks entirely, and not just because of their price. However, that doesn't rule out an Apple tablet.
