Edible Apple

Apple issued a statement today explaining that the white model iPhone 4 will not start shipping until later this year.

White models of Apple’s new iPhone 4 have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected.

Reports earlier this week indicated that the holdup is due to Apple’s demand for perfection in getting the exact shade of white they’re looking for.

A Gizmodo reader noted back in late June:

Actually the white on the iPhone is not painted, it is screen printed. I cannot say who I am as Apple does have a non-disclosure in effect for this, but: The color specifications for the white on the new iPhones are just crazy. The tolerances they are trying to achieve with the white really is the cause of the delay. As screen printing goes, it is somewhat controllable, doesn’t have the tolerance that Apple is wanting to hold the color specification of the white too. Talk about anal…

It was originally assumed the white iPhone 4 would be released along with the black iPhone 4, but it soon became apparent that that wouldn’t be the case when the white iPhone 4 wasn’t initially available for pre-order. A few weeks later, on June 23, Apple issued a press release stating that white iPhone models wouldn’t be available until the latter part of July. And now with July slowly making way for August, customers interested in a white iPhone 4 will have to wait until sometime this Fall.. maybe.