Apple says no more product introductions until next year

Any lingering hopes of new last-minute holiday hardware from Apple have been cast in doubt, as the Mac maker has reportedly confirmed that its holiday 2009 lineup is "set."

In a recent conversation with Gizmodo, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, reportedly said that Apple will not introduce any more new products this year. The report was issued to quash recent rumors of even more hardware updates portrayed as potentially imminent.

After the story initially ran, Apple's public relations contacted to clarify with an official statement: "The holiday lineup is set." No further explanation was given.

Last week, the latest build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 seeded to developers was discovered to have references to two new MacBook Pro models, identified as 6,1 and 6,2. The most recent line of MacBook Pros carry the 5,(x) model designation.

That report suggested the two new MacBook Pro models would come equipped with Quad Core Mobile processors and ATI series 4500 GPUs.

Given Apple's statement, any new MacBook Pro models are more likely to appear in early 2010. It was in January of this year when Apple unveiled a new 17-inch MacBook Pro equipped with an eight hour built-in battery with a longer lifespan than traditional laptop batteries.

The comment would suggest that the models available in the AppleInsider price guide (below) are those that will carry Apple through the holidays:

Some have also held out hope that Apple would introduce its long-awaited 10-inch touchscreen tablet device, but AppleInsider sources have maintained that the new hardware will not appear until the first quarter of 2010.

Last week, Apple unleashed a number of new product offerings, led by redesigned iMacs with 21.5-inch and 27-inch displays. The Cupertino, Calif., company also unveiled a new unibody polycarbonate MacBook with an LED display and 7-hour battery, new Mac Minis, and the multi-touch Bluetooth Magic Mouse.