Jul 14, 2011 08:23 GMT  ·  By

Sources with ties in the Apple ecosystem claim to have received word that Apple is not rushing to deploy Mac OS X 10.7 in the Mac App Store this week.

Customers should not hold their breath for Lion dropping Thursday, July 14, as speculated, according to LoopInsight's Jim Dalrymple, who tweeted that he hopes "you guys don't lose too much sleep waiting for the new Macs and Lion tomorrow."

Dalrymple's has some Apple contacts, and has accurately predicted the Mac maker’s moves in the past. His tweet would either suggest a delay in Lion shipping, or an altogether different timetable at Apple that speculators had the bad inspiration to try and guess at.

Of course, we shouldn’t be relying on a single source to post a headline that says Lion may not arrive this week.

And we’re not. The people at Arstechnica have been 'caught' on 5by5.tv saying that they’ve also heard Lion is not coming this week.

The technology-centric site admits this information is "third-hand, fourth-hand," but it’s worth noting nonetheless, according to MacRumors.

With Apple widely expected to launch new Macintosh hardware in tandem with the latest version of its Mac OS, the first indication that Mac OS X 10.7 is coming is the yellow Stickies sign saying “We’ll Be Back Soon”.

In any case, those anxiously waiting for Apple’s eight major version of the Mac OS should make sure they’re eligible for the upgrade.

Lion requires Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, an Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor, and 2GB of RAM.

A Mac OS X Lion Up-To-Date upgrade is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after June 6, 2011.

Lion includes key new features like new Multi-Touch gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control; Launchpad; a completely redesigned Mail app; Resume; Auto Save; Versions; AirDrop and more.