Cook on Apple netbook

Apple COO Tim Cook reiterated his distaste for the netbook and suggested that Apple's business model would not cater to the concept of an Apple netbook product. Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer reviewed Apple's performance over its Q3 conference call yesterday. Cook's comments follow a slew of rumors, including claims that Wintek will supply Apple with 9.7-inch touchscreen displays. The rumors also suggest Apple will be releasing a touch netbook in October for $800.

"Some customers [...] become disappointed and disenchanted after they buy one of these," said Cook, "I think some of the netbooks that are being delivered or many of those are very slow, have software technology that is old, they don't have a robust computing experience, they lack horsepower, they have small displays and cramped keyboards. I could go on and on, but I won't.

Cook insinuated a netbook would not be in line with Apple's business model, stating, "That kind of thing I think many people will not be happy with and we're only going to plan things where we can deliver something that is very innovative and that we're very proud of."

Apple has openly complained of poor netbook hardware and has insisted it will not enter the netbook market on numerous occasions. An Apple touchscreen netbook would be a significant addition to Apple's product line up, providing users with a less expensive alternative to the MacBook Pro line.

by MacNN Staff