David Carr has a column in the Times about Carl Icahn and Apple:
Never mind that Mr. Icahn would probably not know an iPhone from a Galaxy S4. ...Apple is a deliberate, careful company and will not suddenly adjust its managing strategy to accommodate someone's need for lucrative short-term returns.
Mr. Cook is an unfailingly polite person who probably saw no harm in telling Mr. Icahn as much face-to-face.
What's with the swipe at Mr. Icahn's knowledge of mobile phones? Mr. Carr probably didn't bother to call Mr. Icahn or his office to report out the level of his technical knowledge, so he uses the word "probably" to veil the fact that he doesn't have a precise view of Mr. Icahn's technical knowledge or an on-the-record source that he can attribute the information to.
Likewise, the "probably" about what Mr. Cook said to Mr. Icahn at the dinner is a way around the fact that Mr. Carr either doesn't know precisely what was said at the dinner or doesn't have an on-the-record source that he can attribute the information to.
The column accuses Mr. Icahn of being "mostly hot air," and seems to disagree with Mr. Icahn on the best use of Apple's cash and the desirability of Apple borrowing money. But if anyone is blowing hot air, it is probably Mr. Carr, not Mr. Icahn.
Disclosure: I own some shares of Apple.