Dell Inc. Chief Executive Michael Dell said his company may one day sell a device that competes with Apple’s iPhone, though he does not plan to get into that market any time soon.

“I think you will see us with small screen devices,” Dell said on Wednesday at an investment conference in New York when asked if his company was developing smart phones such as Apple’s iPhone, which would blend the functions of a mobile phone with those of a personal computer.

“You’ll see us with smaller and smaller devices that have capabilities of the devices you are referring to. Not in the near-term,” he quickly added. This does indicate the willingness of other people to jump into the market and push the iPhone to continue innovating.

He spoke at the Citi Technology Conference in New York when he made these comments.

Dell has been a major player in the PC industry for a number of years, so Apple may need to sit up and take notice some point soon.