Cook also repeats the claim Steve Jobs made last year, that in many ways the iPhone and iPod touch are Apple's "answer" to the netbook--or at least, to many consumers' needs for a small electronic device that does browsing and e-mail.

Then comes the tease. Cook is suggesting that perhaps Apple is working on an "innovative product that makes a contribution"--not a big shocker there. In three months, the ideas Apple has for the netbook space have become "interesting."

And finally, the hammer: "I think [it's] a stretch to call [the netbook] a personal computer." With smack talk like that, can Apple's entry into the netbook market be far behind?