Apple: No plans for "junky" netbooks

The Taiwanese rumour mill was set buzzing in recent weeks with Chinese-language site Commercial Times predicting Apple would shortly be sealing a deal with Foxconn to produce an Apple netbook.

But according to Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook, the company isn't interested in netbooks, at least in their current form factor. 

"When I'm looking at what's sold in the netbook market, I see cramped keyboards, junky hardware, very small screens, bad software," said Cook during Apple's financial analyst call. He went on to slam netbooks, saying they were "Not a consumer experience that we would put the Mac brand on".

"As it exists today, we're not interested in it nor would it be something customers would be interested in [in] the long term," added Cook. That is not to say Apple won't make a netbook, but if the firm does decide to make one, expect it to be a lot different from what's currently on the market.

"We are looking at the space," Cupertino's Jobs stand-in admitted, but noted "for those who want a small computer that does browsing [and] email, they might want an iphone or ipod Touch".

Unless of course "we find a way to deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution," said Cook, in which case "we'll do that".