1 Hot Trend Apple Refuses to Cash In On

I've never been much of a fan of oversized phones -- pocket tumors, I call them -- but in Asia, phablets are already big and getting bigger by the day. Samsung has sold more than 30 million of its Galaxy Note "phablets" through two iterations of the device. A third, the Galaxy Note 3, could come this year.

Samsung could have more company by then. A leaked photo attributed to a Sony (NYSE: SNE  ) manufacturing operation suggest the consumer electronics giant is aiming to build a 6.44-inch touchscreen phablet. Huawei, meanwhile, introduced its own entry into the market at CES -- the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate.

So far, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) has resisted temptations to go into the super-sized phone market. Don't expect that to change, either:  CEO Tim Cook, like Steve Jobs before him, has never shown much interest in hybrid devices.

Is he right this time, too? Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova says Apple isn't well-positioned to build a phablet, but one of its main rivals might be.

Watch the video to learn more, and then leave a comment to let us know what you think.

All eyes are on Apple, which just reported earnings. Investors are wondering whether the iPad mini and iPhone 5 were the catalysts we all believed they could be. Longer term, the question is whether the Mac maker still has the mojo to deliver products that make average users salivate. The Motley Fool's senior technology analyst and managing bureau chief, Eric Bleeker, address this question and more in our comprehensive Apple research service. Want access? Click here to find out what Eric thinks right now and get a free year of updates as news breaks.