"They don't seem so much concerned about leaving that money on the table as more concerned about the erosion in the Mac market," Gottheil said.

The company may be waiting for the economy to reach bottom and begin to climb back out of its hole before launching a netbook, Gottheil added, given that Apple would probably not compete on price but instead push the concept of a luxury-class netbook.

Oppenheimer and Cook also dodged a question early in the call about CEO Steve Jobs, who earlier this month announced he was because his medical condition was "more complex" than originally thought.

Oppenheimer repeated bits from the statement Jobs issued last week. "Steve plans to remain involved in major strategic decisions," Oppenheimer said when asked if there was an update on Jobs' situation.

Cook took a different tack, and ignored a question about whether he thought he was a front-runner for the CEO spot if Jobs was unable to come back in June. "There is an extraordinary breadth and depth among Apple's executive team," Cook said, adding that all employees at the company were "wicked smart."