Digitimes on new MacBook Airs and iPhone

In a series of reports Digitimes claims that Apple will release new MacBooks Airs this summer, has lowered the production of iPhone 4 in the second quarter and an LTE equipped iPhone will not ship until 2012.

Digitimes claims that Apple will begin production of an updated MacBook Air model in May for a June or July launch. The new MacBook Airs are reportedly to have Intel's Sandy Bridge processors and the new Thunderbolt ports. Sources are said to be Taiwan-based supply chains. The last MacBook Air update was in October 2010.

In another report Digitimes claims to have heard that Apple has lowered its iPhone 4 production in the second quarter of this year because of the expected iPhone 4s release later this year, according to Taiwan-based  supply chains.

Due to an inventory volume of 1.5-2 million units of iPhone 4 and the launch of iPhone 4S planned as early as September 2011, Apple has lowered its expected shipment volume of iPhone 4 for the second quarter of 2011 from 20 million units, to 17.5-18 million units consisting of 16 million units of the 3G version and 1.5-2 million units of the CDMA version, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

In addition the report claims that the next generation iPhone, rumored to be known as the iPhone 4s, will go into production in August and may launch as early as September. The iPhone 4s will receive both the 3G and CDMA chips from Qualcomm, in addition the device will receive an 8-megapixel camera.

The report also notes that Apple has increased its iPad 2 production to 10.5 million units per month in hopes to keep its goal of selling up to 40 million units in 2011.

In a separate report Digitimes says that Apple will not launch an LTE, a.k.a. 4G, iPhone in 2011 likely due production difficulties of chips from Qualcomm.

Apple is likely to delay the launch of its LTE-enabled iPhones to 2012, said the sources, noting that the industry had also long been skeptical about the launch of LTE iPhones in 2011 as the implementation of LTE networks has not yet matured.

The rumor that Apple will not release an LTE iPhone until 2012 has been all but confirmed with multiple reports all claiming that the appropriate chips will not be ready until late this year.