The naysayers, however, will have none of it. An Apple netbook simply isn't going to happen, some say. In a blog entitled, "Get Over It! There's no Apple netbook," Computerworld's Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols argues that while Apple may be planning a tablet-size iPhone or iPod Touch, that's a far cry from an actual netbook. Besides, he says, Apple doesn't wallow in the low-end of the computer marketplace:

"So long as Steve Jobs has a pulse, Apple will make the computer equivalent of Rolls-Royce cars. Apple doesn't want to make VW Bugs."

Another doubter, PC World's David Coursey, says that whatever Apple may be cooking up, it's probably :

"There is nothing wrong with Apple offering a device with a 7-to-9-inch touch screen, perhaps for $600, if the speculation proves out. I just wouldn't call it a netbook, though it might be a lot of fun to watch a movie on and could even be a handy way to show a Keynote presentation to a very small audience. A wireless keyboard could give it some work functionality, but it still wouldn't be a netbook."

Personally, I'd be disappointed if the Apple netbook rumors turned out to be completely bogus. Something's in the works, it would seem, and the question may be whether we categorize Apple's mystery gadget as either a large-screen portable media player or a netbook computer.