Is an Apple Netbook on the Horizon

In a question-and-answer session held during Apple's quarterly earnings call Tuesday, Steve Jobs reminded investors that Apple was not ready to enter the netbook market because it's a "nascent category." However, he hinted that the company is certainly thinking about it.

"We'll wait and see how that nascent category evolves, and we've got some pretty interesting ideas if it does," Jobs said.

He added that to the company's knowledge, netbooks aren't selling all that well. However, recent reports strongly disagree.

Netbooks -- low-powered, inexpensive mini notebooks made primarily for internet use -- are soaring in popularity. ABI Research forecasts that manufacturers will ship 200 million ultra-mobile devices, including netbooks by 2013 -- which is about the same anticipated size as the entire laptop market worldwide.

Also, IDC Research recently said the rise of netbooks "coincided perfectly with market conditions." In its report, IDC noted that Acer is now the third largest computer manufacturer in terms of market share because of its netbook offerings.

To Apple's credit, new MacBooks and MacBook Pros currently crowd several of the top spots on Amazon's list of 25 best-selling notebooks. However, all the other devices on that list are netbooks, and the $400 Acer Aspire netbook sits at number one.

Also, before Apple announced new MacBooks on Oct. 14, netbooks claimed nine out the top 10 spots on Amazon's list of best sellers for several weeks.

Jobs said in the mean time, the iPhone is a solution, since it fits into the category of a pared-down, internet-enabled device. However, many would likely disagree since the handset lacks a physical keyboard and its screen size is only 3.5 inches, while netbook displays are typically 8 to 10 inches.

Nonetheless, Jobs only said Apple isn't ready to step into the netbook category; he implies the company has already thought about what its netbook would be.

Meanwhile, Macworld Expo, where Jobs typically launches brand new products, is coming January. It's unlikely the company will unveil a netbook so soon after Jobs said he wasn't ready for one.

But even if Apple were releasing one, Jobs probably wouldn't call it a netbook anyway, right?

Then again, if you can't wait any longer for Apple, you can always hack a netbook to run Mac OS X.