Apple is reportedly holding back on the release of new MacBook Air notebooks powered by Intel's Sandy Bridge chips and other products until Mac OS X Lion is ready for prime time, according to AppleInsider.
The company is also prepared to wait on releasing new editions of the iPhone and iPod Touch until iOS 5.0 with bundled in iCloud service is finalized, the site reported Thursday. The iPhone 5 is expected to be released in the third quarter.
The Apple-watching site reported that the newest Thunderbolt-enabled MacBook Airs "have been ready and waiting for some time" to go into volume production. But Apple "is so pumped over the advantages presented by its forthcoming Mac OS X Lion operating system" that the company is willing to wait on a production ramp originally scheduled for June, AppleInsider reported, citing unnamed sources.
Apple is reportedly waiting to begin volume production until it is able to image the new MacBook Airs with Lion's Gold Master build, which would include a free level of iCloud service bundled into the new OS software.
The upcoming Thunderbolt-equipped Mac Mini and LED Cinema Display will also be kept on the sidelines until Lion is ready, AppleInsider reported. Apple would only consider releasing those products and the new MacBook Airs ahead of Lion and bundled-in iCloud service if there were unexpected setbacks to the release of the new OS that could significantly impact Apple's financials, according to the website.