Apple Drops Hints About Netbooks, iPhone NanoApple Drops Hints About Netbooks, iPhone Nano

Apple's top brass let slip some tantalizing clues about the company's plans for an "iPhone Nano," netbook, and Apple TV during the their quarterly earnings conference call on Wednesday. Or did they? With Apple, it's always hard to tell.Tim Cook, Apple's acting chief executive, expressed disdain for the idea that the company might come out with a low-priced version of the iPhone, rumored to be called the "iPhone Nano."

He said, "You know us, we're not going to play in the low-end voice phone business. That's not who we are. That's not why we're here. We'll let somebody do that. Our goal is not to be the unit share leader in the phone industry, it is to build the best phone."

Steve Jobs made similar remarks during the last quarterly conference call in October:

I don't remember seeing that Babe Ruth quote in October. I love it.

On the other hand, Cook hinted that there might be a netbook in the future -- but don't stay up nights waiting for it. He echoed and expanded on some of Jobs' previous objections to the category: The hardware is underpowered, software isn't that good, keyboards are cramped, displays are small. And, says Cook, there isn't really that much demand.

But he added: "It's a category we watch. We've got some ideas here. ... "

Apple TV, a product that Jobs himself dismissed as a "hobby," is doing pretty well, with sales up 300% over the past year. "However, let me be clear, we still consider this a hobby," Cook said, adding: "It is clear the movie rental business is working and there are more customers who want to try it. We will continue to invest there, because we believe there is something there for us in the future."