the 737 was selling well.. it would have been a brave man to turn off that cash flow by announcing a new design.....
Indeed and they'll still make shedloads out of it even if the market share settles at 60:40 in Airbus' favour. But, in any event, they'll likely be forced into an earlier replacement than Airbus will - possibly, as TDracer says, on the back of the NMA.