Did Apple CEO Tim Cook Confirm Multiple New iPhones?

Tech bloggers are getting excited about the news that Apple AAPL CEO Tim Cook reportedly stated that the company could launch different types of iPhones. But is that really what he said? During the D11 conference yesterday evening, AllThingsD reporter Walt Mossberg asked why Apple was willing to build several iPods (which were very successful) but only one iPhone. To see the highlights of Cook's comments, click here. Officially, Cook told Mossberg that while the company has not built multiple iPhones thus far, "That doesn't shut off the future." "Let me answer the question on why we haven't so far," Cook explained. "It takes a lot of work -- a lot of really detailed work -- to do a phone right when you manage the hardware, the software and the services around it. We've chosen to put our energy on getting those right. And have made the choices in order to do that. So we haven't become defocused working on multiple lines." In elaborating on the iPod comparison (which he liked), Cook said that you need to think about the evolution of the device. "At one time we brought out the Shuffle," he said. "Well, the Shuffle didn't have the same functionality as other products. It was a really cool product. It played a different role. It was great for some customers." Cook said the same thing about the iPod Mini, which Apple's critics initially dismissed. "If you remember when we brought out the Mini, people said, 'Nobody's gonna buy this,'" Cook recalled. "'It's priced too high and it doesn't store enough songs.' Because people had gotten used to the huge amount of storage that was in the Classic. And the Mini proved that no -- people in fact want something lighter, thinner, smaller." Ultimately, Cook said that his comparisons were intended to explain that all of those products served a different person with different needs. "On the phone, that is the question -- are we now at a point to serve enough people that we need to do that?" he questioned. When Mossberg said that larger phones (such as phablets) are desired by some consumers, Cook replied with a few complaints. "A large screen today comes with a lot of tradeoffs," he said. "…Customers are clearly looking at the size. But they also look at things like, do the photos show the proper color? The white balance, reflectivity, battery life, brightness, the longevity of the display -- so there are a whole bunch of things that are important to the display." Cook argued that Apple's customers want the company to weigh those features and "come out with a decision." "At this point we felt that the Retina Display that we're shipping is overwhelmingly the best," he said. "…In a hypothetical world where the tradeoffs didn't exist, you could see that [a larger screen] being one of the things that differentiates." Indeed, larger screens could be "different" in a hypothetical world -- but that does not mean that Cook will compliment the format or indicate that Apple has any interest in developing a phablet. Samsung is more than happy to continue making larger smartphones, however, especially after selling five million Galaxy Note II units in just a couple of months. While Cook may have simply wanted to avoid the question for fear of spoiling Apple's plans, his interview came only hours before a new DigiTimes report that claims Apple will produce two new iPhones in 2013. According to the report, Apple has asked its suppliers to prepare production capacity for 20 million units per month. One of those devices will be the long-awaited iPhone 5 upgraded (often referred to as the iPhone 5S); the other will reportedly be a low-cost version of the iPhone 4S. The latter device will contain a lower-resolution display and a different (but not necessarily weaker) processor. In other words, it could be end up being an iPhone 4 without the Retina Display. DigiTimes' sources believe that these new handsets will enable Apple to ship a total of 100 million to 120 million iPhones (old models included) in the latter half of the year. Not to be outdone, DigiTimes' sources also indicated that Samsung will release a low-cost version of the Galaxy S IV to compete with Apple's low-cost iPhone. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ