Cook made that clear earlier this week when he took swings at so-called convergent devices, hybrids that blend the functionality of a tablet with the power and keyboard of a notebook.

"Anything can be forced to converge," Cook said. "You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user. "We're not going to that party. Others might. Others might from a defensive point of view. But we're going to play in both [computers and tablets]."

Cook was likely aiming his words at the expected devices that partners of rival Microsoft, including Intel, have been touting for Windows 8, the operating system most figure will launch this fall.

White pooh-poohed the idea that Apple would merge the iPad and, say, the MacBook Air, its lightest-weight and thinnest laptop.

"I agree with what Tim [Cook] said," White answered during an interview this week. "While there is some overlap [between tablets and notebooks] I think they're really two different worlds. I don't think people will ever abandon the notebook altogether."