At the time, one analyst agreed with Jobs. "For Apple, the iPhone and iPod Touch are a way to provide Web-access devices to the rest of the world," said , of Technology Business Research Inc. "And it prevents them from cannibalizing their MacBook lines."

Two weeks ago, however, Gottheil changed his tune, and said he expected Apple to at the MacWorld Conference and Expo. Gottheil speculated that the new netbooks, which would be priced starting at $599, would, like the iPhone and iPod Touch, rely on the company's App Store for software downloads.