Has Apple shelved the white iPhone 4 altogether?

28 Oct 2010

Rumours have emerged that Apple has actually shelved, rather than delayed, its white iPhone 4 launch and may be planning instead to launch the iPhone 5 in the spring.

Yesterday, Apple said the white iPhone smartphone has been delayed again until spring 2011, after being previously delayed to July and then to the end of 2010.

But now it has emerged that a white iPhone 4 may not be on the cards at all if the device could delayed until spring 2011 because that brings it directly into the release path for the iPhone 5, the next generation of Apple’s popular device.

Issues delaying the onset of the white iPhone 4 include camera problems holding up manufacturing, due to light leaking into the device.

However, the rumour mill is in overdrive with a prevailing view that the device is not being held up by manufacturing issues at all.

Instead, there is the belief that a change of heart at Apple on releasing the device at all has occurred and that the company believes its energies would be better invested in the next model down the line.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com