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Real Reason Why the White iPhone 4 Is Delayed

Posted by samzenpus on from the no-phone-for-you dept.

tekgoblin writes "There have been numerous reasons why the White iPhone 4 may be delayed with one reason being the color mismatch between the home button and the body. Well this time there is another reason. A source has told CultofMac that the reason for the delay is a light leakage issue caused by the case being clear. Light from the case leaks into pictures taken by the back and front camera on the white iPhone 4, causing distorted pictures. This problem is non-existent on the black iPhone 4, because of its already black case, so Apple has been looking for a solution to this problem, thus the delay of the White iPhone 4 till spring of next year."

182 comments

  1. Another theory making the rounds by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 1, Funny

    There is another theory regarding the delay. Somehow Apple heard about how I wasn't interested in a white iPhone unless it also came with blowjobs from the Victoria Secret models. Apple has been unable to get them on board yet.

    1. Re:Another theory making the rounds by IB4Student · · Score: 3, Funny

      Thanks for keeping it classy -_-

    2. Re:Another theory making the rounds by MBCook · · Score: 1

      That's not an analogy.

      You fail to live up to your Reddit namesake.

      --
      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    3. Re:Another theory making the rounds by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 2, Insightful

      For someone who claims to be uninterested in the iPhone you sure commented on this story in a hurry.
      Me thinks he doth protest too much.

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    4. Re:Another theory making the rounds by MaWeiTao · · Score: 4, Funny

      Not being interested in a device at all and not being interested in it if it doesn't include oral sex are very different things.

    5. Re:Another theory making the rounds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's a different guy.

    6. Re:Another theory making the rounds by blair1q · · Score: 3, Funny

      So that's why Heidi Klum retired.

      By the time the White iPhone comes out, the only person left on VS's payroll will be Gilbert Gottfried.

    7. Re:Another theory making the rounds by Dogtanian · · Score: 2, Informative

      That's not an analogy. You fail to live up to your Reddit namesake.

      That's a different guy.

      Er, yes. Given that namesake means "a person with the same name as another", that *should* be the case anyway. :-)

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    8. Re:Another theory making the rounds by jason.sweet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The distinction is very small. They could be trying to sell you a 12 pound "smart" phone running a stripped down version of Windows Me and IE6, but if Heidi Klum is standing there putting on cherry lip gloss, I guarantee you are at least checking how much cash is in you wallet.

    9. Re:Another theory making the rounds by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Funny

      I heard the delay was because Steve is insistent that they match the color of unicorns. Unfortunately, Steve isn't buying stories that unicorns are "imaginary".

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    10. Re:Another theory making the rounds by H0p313ss · · Score: 1

      Not being interested in a device at all and not being interested in it if it doesn't include oral sex are very different things.

      Now there's an interesting research topic, are people who buy iPhones more or less sexually active than the average or do they simply WISH they were?

      --
      XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
    11. Re:Another theory making the rounds by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      Maybe they're trying to match the color of the invisible pink unicorn.

    12. Re:Another theory making the rounds by jontas · · Score: 2, Informative

      The research has been done!

      http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/dont-be-ugly-by-accident/

    13. Re:Another theory making the rounds by JustOK · · Score: 4, Funny

      a theory is like an analogy which is like a metaphor

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    14. Re:Another theory making the rounds by Dahamma · · Score: 2, Informative

      And almost not surprisingly, someone has actually researched that...

      http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/iphone-users-have-more-sex/

    15. Re:Another theory making the rounds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I've never understood the correlation between having a model next to anything, say a smartphone.

      What does it mean? She is using it? So what?
      Will she give me something if I buy it? I don't think so.

      I know it's supposed to incite buying the object, but I don't see any link.
      Or it's just I'm too weird. Whatever.

      cap: clashed

    16. Re:Another theory making the rounds by martinX · · Score: 1

      I thought it was like a simile.

      --
      When they came for the communists, I said "He's next door. Take him away. Goddam commies."
    17. Re:Another theory making the rounds by stoborrobots · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've never understood the correlation between having a model next to anything, say a smartphone.

      ...

      I know it's supposed to incite buying the object, but I don't see any link.

      Some research which might be illuminating:

      --
      "Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
    18. Re:Another theory making the rounds by JustOK · · Score: 1

      well, a simile is like a metaphor.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    19. Re:Another theory making the rounds by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Somehow Apple heard about how I wasn't interested in a white iPhone unless it also came with blowjobs from the Victoria Secret models.

      I don't think you understand ... the white iPhones are for the Victoria's Secret models. Nobody cares what you want. ;-)

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    20. Re:Another theory making the rounds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are either gay, or a woman.

    21. Re:Another theory making the rounds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      She's fronting for Amazon and New Balance now...

    22. Re:Another theory making the rounds by Xest · · Score: 1

      This is probably the most realistic theory I've heard to date.

    23. Re:Another theory making the rounds by blair1q · · Score: 1

      So she stopped wearing underwear?

      Wait...why is this bad again?

  2. Or could it be... by e065c8515d206cb0e190 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    that they're redesigning the antenna?

    1. Re:Or could it be... by Rockoon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It think the most likely scenario here is that they are chasing profits.

      A further delay will push some of the I-want-white holdouts into buying an iPhone 4 now. Some of those same people will purchase a white one later.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    2. Re:Or could it be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      white phones have smaller antennas

    3. Re:Or could it be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Not likely. In addition to not qualifying for the subsidy on a later purchase ( 2 years), it's common knowledge that once you go black you'll never go back.

    4. Re:Or could it be... by cayenne8 · · Score: 2, Funny
      Maybe it was delayed for a reason at first..then they found there's not that much a demand for white, and figured, "Hey..no real hurry here required".

      I can't imagine why anyone would want a white one.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    5. Re:Or could it be... by pspahn · · Score: 0, Troll

      This brings to light the number one reason why I will absolutely never consider buying an iThing (assuming your statement is valid, of course).

      If there are enough users of this thing to warrant a delay in purchasing simply because they want one that is white versus black, I would never want to associate myself with someone so superficial that a simple fucking color change is this important to their buying decision.

      The only time fashion > function is with cut flowers, and even then the distinction is small.

      --
      Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.
    6. Re:Or could it be... by commodore64_love · · Score: 4, Funny

      >>>I can't imagine why anyone would want a white one.

      That's right.
      Once she's had black,
      she'll never go back.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    7. Re:Or could it be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So, the next time you buy a car --- I'll decide the color for you. Since color is so unimportant to you. You have a black-and-white TV at the house?

      Idiot.

    8. Re:Or could it be... by commodore64_love · · Score: 2, Informative

      I once refused to buy a phone because I wanted the plain-black instead of the bright red. Unfortunately the black was discontinued, so I never bought the phone.

      Another time I delayed buying a Nintendo Gamecube because I thought the original color was hokey (looked like a toy). Also not many games worth playing. Then they released the black version about a year later, which I liked a lot better, so I decided to buy it.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    9. Re:Or could it be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      You seem to give an awful lot of consideration to what other people are doing. Consider thinking for yourself.

    10. Re:Or could it be... by Verdatum · · Score: 2, Informative

      Obligatory old quote: Ford Model T "Any color you like, as long as it's black."

    11. Re:Or could it be... by Abcd1234 · · Score: 5, Funny

      If there are enough users of this thing to warrant a delay in purchasing simply because they want one that is white versus black, I would never want to associate myself with someone so superficial that a simple fucking color change is this important to their buying decision.

      Yeah! How dare people put off making consumer goods purchases based on their personal preferences! Those self-involved fuckers!

    12. Re:Or could it be... by JonySuede · · Score: 1

      there is an overly sensitive mod today, this was clearly a joke....

      --
      Jehovah be praised, Oracle was not selected
    13. Re:Or could it be... by clang_jangle · · Score: 1

      I would never want to associate myself with someone so superficial that a simple fucking color change is this important to their buying decision.

      So IOW you're so incredibly codependent that you actually imagine that the choices of others who merely use the same phone you do somehow reflects on you? If so, you're just the kind of knee-jerk simpleton marketers dream of!

      --
      Caveat Utilitor
    14. Re:Or could it be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do you think having an iThing will cause you to associate with other people who have iThings? It's not a team sport.

      Why do you care what drives other people in their purchases? Why do you care what other people think of your purchases?

    15. Re:Or could it be... by kiwimate · · Score: 2, Informative

      Another time I delayed buying a Nintendo Gamecube because I thought the original color was hokey (looked like a toy). Also not many games worth playing. Then they released the black version about a year later, which I liked a lot better, so I decided to buy it.

      You know, I truly can't tell if you're serious. You delayed buying a toy because the color made it look...like...a...toy...

    16. Re:Or could it be... by joebagodonuts · · Score: 0

      Modding this "troll" leads me to suspect the mod may be suffering antenna envy. That and a severe sense-of-humor deficiency

      --
      "Give a woman two glasses of wine and some pad thai, and they'll agree to just about anything." the Sports Guy
    17. Re:Or could it be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you were planning to buy a device but the store you were at only had it in a colour you disliked (e.g. pink for someone who dislikes it), you wouldn't delay purchase until you at least checked if some other store had one that suited your preferences better?

      That said I do agree with the general idea that avoiding a fairly neutral shade like black (but waiting for a nontrivial amount of time for another colour/shade) is fairly silly if you're considering a device for its functional merits. That said there is indeed likely a fair amount of pure superficiality based on fashion that goes into the decision of many a person who intends to buy an iThing. (nice term btw)

    18. Re:Or could it be... by getto+man+d · · Score: 1

      Henry Ford would disagree.

    19. Re:Or could it be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know. It'd be childish to voice an opinion like that and then reject the device forever. But if it's something you know you'll be using a lot, staring at a lot, other people will be staring at you using a lot... well, waiting a few months just says that you're patient.

      Personally, some things I don't care what color it is - or I may even want it bright to make it easier to find in a pile of stuff or less likely that someone will steal it. Some things I don't care about the color of because I kind of expect them to clash with everything anyway (like almost every game console I've ever owned). But I'd be picky about the color of a car (I expect to own cars for more than ten years, after all) or a phone. Actually, maybe not so much for a phone, since there are cases available anyway, so if they for some reason only have hot pink phones, you could still get a black cover for it.

    20. Re:Or could it be... by gstoddart · · Score: 2, Funny

      You know, I truly can't tell if you're serious. You delayed buying a toy because the color made it look...like...a...toy...

      No. He's admitting to a very long established geek bias towards black hardware.

      Black hardware is just so ... black ... and smooth ... and shiny. *ahem*

      For a long time, we had beige, in a matte finish no less; IBM is well documented to be at fault here. We had so utterly much beige, it was mind-numbing. Beige monitor, beige tower, beige keyboard -- oh, sure, you could mix it up with a mouse of a mousepad, but everything else was beige. Geeks used to have black-hardware envy because nobody had any -- a NeXT station was the sexiest thing on the planet in '92, and SGI made a really funky indigo colour. Apple popularized Tangerine for a while, but it wasn't black.

      Now, you almost don't see beige at all. All black. 'Cuz black is cool and shiny, and ... faster. Hell, even Nintendo has learned that everybody wants black hardware ... the Wii is now available in black. I'm sure black costs more ... it used to. It's supposed to.

      What he's saying is if the Game Cube had been its proper black in the first place, instead of being in bright, primary Fisher Price colours, they'd have sold more units. Because, once you go black ... ;-)

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    21. Re:Or could it be... by commodore64_love · · Score: 1

      Personally I prefer a nice 1982 tan color with black keys (hint: look at my name). Or a sleek off-white like the Commodore 128. Of course nothing says "I'm a disco duck" like a black VCR or stereo or Atari 2600/VCS with woodgrain accents. ;-)

      But seriously: I like black because you can "hide" it under the entertainment center, and it won't stand out in the middle of the living room like a sore thumb.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    22. Re:Or could it be... by numbski · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I figured they were waiting for SHAtter to finally be disclosed so they could fix the bootrom, thus making the white iphone 4 invulnerable to jailbreaking. For a time.

      Since SHAtter wound up going undisclosed, now they're in a pickle. Either they go around fuzzing the usb ports looking for the SHAtter vulnerability themselves, which is time consuming, and gives no clear indication that they found the exact same vulnerability that pod2g found, or they find a way to bait the iphone devs into tipping their hands and disclosing SHAtter.

      That whole scenario would take many months to play out, as the iphone devs have proven to be far more patient after what happened with the iPhone 3G[s] bootrom.

      --

      Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).

    23. Re:Or could it be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Malibu Stacy has a new hat!

    24. Re:Or could it be... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you're so superficial that you wouldn't buy a product simply because you're afraid you might somehow be associated with superficial people? Sounds as if a white iPhone might be just the thing for you.

    25. Re:Or could it be... by Trashman · · Score: 1

      Here are my reasons for waiting; which to you, makes *me* a "superficial" prick that you don't want to associate with:

      1. His (black) and hers (white) iphones. Having them in different colors means that we both won't accidentally take each others phones. (we don't like covers.)
      2. I'd rather wait so I can purchase them together because I would rather only have to sign 1 new two year contract to get the subsidy, as opposed buying a black one now and having to re-up another 2yrs again whenever the white one shows up and I buy hers. (plus she'd be unhappy that I bought one for me and didn't get one for her.)

      --
      Do not read this .sig
  3. It IS actually white by recoiledsnake · · Score: 4, Funny

    You are looking at it wrong.

    --
    This space for rent.
    1. Re:It IS actually white by Verdatum · · Score: 4, Funny

      The above poster went on to prove that black is white, and was subsequently killed in the next zebra crossing.

    2. Re:It IS actually white by JustOK · · Score: 1

      can i have all his stuff then?

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    3. Re:It IS actually white by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, if you want to get technical (and this being slashdot, who doesn't?), black and white are merely different albedo, and the distinction between them is rather arbitrary, being only based on typical levels of illumination and the limitations of the human visual sys... AAAUAGAGH!
      [trample trample trample]

    4. Re:It IS actually white by BancBoy · · Score: 1

      Wrong Zebra Crossing...

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_crossing
      And the GP was a Douglas Adams reference also.
      Should've been at the next zebra crossing, rather than in

      --
      [UID-HeinzIntel]
    5. Re:It IS actually white by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah and 0.999 = 1!

  4. The antenna by qoncept · · Score: 2, Informative

    Don't you still need to put a case on an iPhone 4 to make it work worth a shit? Who cares what color the phone itself is?

    --
    Whale
    1. Re:The antenna by Samalie · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You know, in many ways it is kind of funny.

      I have an iPhone4. I'm also in Canada and on the Rogers network.

      Yes, "antennagate" is real. My house is far enough away from a tower that I can go from 3 bars to 0 just my lightly touching the magic little corner. So I got a case for it, which mostly mitigated the problem in my house...most of the time though, it was never an issue.

      I just went to the US (Southern California) and my iPhone was pratically un-useable, case or not. It was entirely useless as a phone, and mostly useless for any kind of data use. Basically, the fucker was a giant brick for all intents and purposes, at least as a communications device.

      Based on that...I still don't hate my iPhone...but I sure as fuck despise AT&T's shitty service.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    2. Re:The antenna by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Similar experiences here. I was spoiled with near universal 3G coverage of Vodafone Greece, and I actually had to buy and use a bumper to get the phone to work some of the time in California (LA up to SF). Don't get me started about NY... I was on top of the Rockefeller Center, you'd expect that it'd manage to get some signal up there, but nothing.

      Oh well, I'm back to Europe were the cellular networks just work and I'm glad.

    3. Re:The antenna by H0p313ss · · Score: 2

      I have an iPhone4. I'm also in Canada and on the Rogers network.

      ...

      I just went to the US (Southern California) and my iPhone was pratically un-useable, case or not. It was entirely useless as a phone, and mostly useless for any kind of data use. Basically, the fucker was a giant brick for all intents and purposes, at least as a communications device.

      Based on that...I still don't hate my iPhone...but I sure as fuck despise AT&T's shitty service.

      As a Rogers customer I'm constantly split between hating them for making me pay through the nose and loving them for having a kick-ass network.

      --
      XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
    4. Re:The antenna by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AT&T works fine (better than competitors) where I am. I think the correct answer here is that we should all despise southern California, but since we all do anyway, I guess that's redundant.

    5. Re:The antenna by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      I just went to the US (Southern California) and my iPhone was pratically un-useable, case or not. It was entirely useless as a phone, and mostly useless for any kind of data use. Basically, the fucker was a giant brick for all intents and purposes, at least as a communications device.

      You did take it out of Airplane Mode when you landed, did you not?

      Just checking.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    6. Re:The antenna by Samalie · · Score: 1

      You actually made me lol this morning. Kudos :)

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    7. Re:The antenna by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We live in LA and travel to San Diego frequently. My wife's iphone works reasonably reliably everywhere we go.

      ATT certainly sucks ass many places in the USA, but I don't know what part of socal you were in to have that bad reception.

  5. Poll: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Who is in favor of banning all apple-related news from slashdot?

    1. Re:Poll: by IB4Student · · Score: 2, Informative

      News like this is okay: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/10/new-java-trojan-attacks-mac-os-x-via-social-networking-sites.ars

    2. Re:Poll: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I would bet money there are more apple users here than linux users.

    3. Re:Poll: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess yes =/

      Where is the good old slashdot?

  6. Good on ya Apple by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Fix it before you ship it.

    --
    If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    1. Re:Good on ya Apple by recoiledsnake · · Score: 2, Insightful

      True but the fact that they've been unable to fix it for so many months(six+) does not bode well. It doesn't seem to be rocket science.

      --
      This space for rent.
    2. Re:Good on ya Apple by lowrydr310 · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'd rather a manufacturer delay a product launch until they get things absolutely right.

      HTC rushed the EVO out the door to meet demand, and their early releases had some serious hardware quality problems (light leakage around screen, screen separation, broken housing near power button, display problems, etc.) I'm not making this stuff up. I had to return THREE of my handsets before I got one that was good, and all three of those were Hardware Revision 003. I can't imagine what 001 and 002 were like.

      That's the price you pay for being an early adopter.

    3. Re:Good on ya Apple by blair1q · · Score: 1

      Or wait until people who bought the black one start to get that little chemical feeling of boredom in the back of their lizard brains and are willing to buy the white one to replace it.

    4. Re:Good on ya Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can't imagine what 001 and 002 were like.

      I don't believe there was an 001 consumer model. I have the 002 I got on the launch day and I haven't had any of the issues you complain about.

      Anecdotal evidence is useless for making generalizations like these. Support forums are filled with people who have issues, not with people who have none.

    5. Re:Good on ya Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      First iphone 4 : never even got it in my hands. Apple dude couldn't activate it. Got stuck in restore mode.

      second iPhone 4 : Got it home before I realized that the home button had 2 modes : Never work or pretend to be pressed 100% of the time.

      third iPhone 4 : parts of the screen become randomly non-responsive. eventually all the presses on the dead parts of the screen suddenly fire at once causing the phone to go nuts for a few seconds. Full restore (no backup) did not fix.

      Fourth iPhone : works great.

      a friend of mine who picked up a phone a day later had a serious speaker issue (phone sounded like it was possessed)

      Of course, I've also gone through 3 ps3's in 1 year, but my launch 360 still works. Maybe I'm cursed

    6. Re:Good on ya Apple by GlassHeart · · Score: 1

      It's one thing to fix the problem on one iPhone, quite another to ensure that you can do it cheaply enough, in an assembly line for millions of units.

    7. Re:Good on ya Apple by Lifyre · · Score: 1

      And what is the common theme here? Those products where from Microsoft's competitors. Obviously you should stop buying inferior products and only buy from Microsoft.

      --
      I'll meet you at the intersection of "Should be" and "Reality"
    8. Re:Good on ya Apple by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      I got mine within the first couple days after launch, and I haven't seen any screen issues or display problems, but I haven't been able to have one of the body glove hard cases on it for more than a month without the case breaking on the top-right corner, near the volume and power buttons. The stress on the case always causes it to fail there.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    9. Re:Good on ya Apple by Belial6 · · Score: 1, Troll

      Well, given the common explanation that the reason the iPhone has never had a replaceable battery is because Apple engineers couldn't figure out how to make it work, I'm not entirely surprised that they can't figure this one out.

      On a more serious note, this is obviously a BS excuse. blocking light is just not that hard of a problem to solve. This is the kind of problem that should delay the product by all of about 3 hours while you decided whether you will put a piece of black paper, a piece of black plastic, or paint on the inside of the case.

    10. Re:Good on ya Apple by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      I'd rather have phone manufacturers keep models as they are, but just upgrade parts in them. speedier cpu etc - so that every model year wouldn't have different mechanical problems.

      anyhow, light leakage could be fixed quite simply by dimming the wrong side with anything, paint, chemical reactions, coal, whatever.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    11. Re:Good on ya Apple by lowrydr310 · · Score: 1

      The light leakage on the HTC EVO appears in two separate places. In some of the early models and even some current models, the adhesive holding the glass to the rest of the phone fails and the screen lifts up, causing light to bleed through around the edge that lifted. A simple fix would be to lift the screen and reapply some new adhesive, but on a brand new phone covered under warranty, this isn't something a user should have to do.

      The other issue persists on all HTC EVOs, even the newest HW revision. There are LED backlights for the four buttons on the bottom of the phone and if tip the top of the phone toward you, you can see the individual LEDs shining brightly. I've seen other manufacturers handle this by placing a thin strip of adhesive foam across the glass, but for some reason HTC didn't bother.

      Aside from these issues, it's a pretty good phone that I'm happy with. I love the design, especially the fact that there are no physical buttons other than power and volume up/down. The screen is perhaps a bit massive for a phone, but it does make it easier to view web pages and read email.

  7. The real question by mark72005 · · Score: 2

    Why do you need a white one, anyway?

    1. Re:The real question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Redundant

      White ones are smaller and fit in your pants better.

    2. Re:The real question by Hogwash+McFly · · Score: 3, Funny

      So that millions of people can express their unique individuality.

      --
      Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
    3. Re:The real question by Greguar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      White with iPhones is a way of advertising that you have the more expensive model, as it historically only exists as an option for the top-end model. All of the people who know the difference will be totally impressed when they see it and will respect you and/or want to have sex with you.

      It's like wearing a fancy watch or paying for a drink with a hundred dollar bill at the bar. Visible signs of wealth trump personality and good looks.

    4. Re:The real question by jojoba_oil · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Only Apple-lovers will know the significance to white vs. non-white. The rest will just assume that the iPhone being white was meant to match the ugly white ear-buds that came with it.

      I think a more visible sign of wealth is walking into an office full of suits when one is wearing jeans and a sweater, without anyone thinking it out of place... Which leads right into the idea behind bling: people without wealth are more concerned about their outward appearance than people with wealth. So cheap, shiny things like bluetooth ear-pieces, chrome wheel spinners, and big necklaces became a sort of caricature of the desperation to appear wealthy.

    5. Re:The real question by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 1

      You know what they say, "Once you go black, you never go back".
      I still want to know who "they" are.

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    6. Re:The real question by Greguar · · Score: 1

      So cheap, shiny things like bluetooth ear-pieces, chrome wheel spinners, and big necklaces became a sort of caricature of the desperation to appear wealthy.

      And what a target market that is!

    7. Re:The real question by whychevron · · Score: 1

      like they say you are unique and special - just like everyone else

    8. Re:The real question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But that's just it, people who buy iPhone's have a hard enough time being a black sheep and none of them really want to be a regular white sheep.

    9. Re:The real question by srussia · · Score: 1

      White with iPhones is a way of advertising that you have the more expensive model, as it historically only exists as an option for the top-end model. All of the people who know the difference will be totally impressed when they see it and will respect you and/or want to have sex with you. It's like wearing a fancy watch or paying for a drink with a hundred dollar bill at the bar. Visible signs of wealth trump personality and good looks.

      This only works for men vis-à-vis women. But I would bet my Richard Millle watch that more women percentage-wise will be getting the white one.

      --
      Set your phasers on "funky"!
  8. Distorted pictures? by Estanislao+Mart�nez · · Score: 4, Informative

    Light from the case leaks into pictures taken by the back and front camera on the White iPhone 4 causing distorted pictures.

    Um, more like overexposed to hell. The camera basically can't regulate exposure if that's the case.

    --

    Are you adequate?

    1. Re:Distorted pictures? by migla · · Score: 3, Funny

      Um, more like overexposed to hell. The camera basically can't regulate exposure if that's the case.

      Pun intended?

      --
      Some of my favourite people are from th US; Vonnegut, Chomsky, Bill Hicks.
    2. Re:Distorted pictures? by Ilgaz · · Score: 0, Troll

      Light from the case leaks into pictures taken by the back and front camera on the White iPhone 4 causing distorted pictures.

      Um, more like overexposed to hell. The camera basically can't regulate exposure if that's the case.

      I don't think anyone picking up iPhone 4 instead of devices like Nokia N8 does really care about exposure issues.

      By N8, I don't really say/buy "omg 12mpixels", I speak about these
      http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/11458_Nokia_N8_image_and_video_sampl.php

    3. Re:Distorted pictures? by giuda · · Score: 1

      Troll? Truth hurts... :D

  9. This is news? by iamvego · · Score: 4, Funny

    So this makes it into the big news on Slashdot... an explanation as to why an iPhone with a different case colour has been delayed. Next on Slashdot... the iPhone's shocking new button that's now a rounded square instead of a circle! I need to take the week off work to recover from the shock.

    1. Re:This is news? by ani23 · · Score: 1

      well theres a tech reason why its delayed and this could certainly lead to interesting debate and solutions. Get off your high horse

    2. Re:This is news? by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If it was a story on the introduction of a new color, I'd agree with you. But this is interesting to those of us who develop products because of the tech issues involved.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    3. Re:This is news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... this could certainly lead to interesting debate and solutions...

      Unlikely.

    4. Re:This is news? by Greguar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's interesting in that it's one of the cases where pursuit of an aesthetic has undermined functionality.

      I work at a university where its Industrial Design program is a pretty big deal, but it's plagued with projects that completely fail in usability (ie, a brushed metal and fogged glass "chair" that will explode into twisted shrapnel if more than 20lbs of load is applied). Strangely, the completely nonfunctional pieces tend to be awarded higher grades because they're more "daring" or have more "vision". The mindset is often that concept of the design is most important, and it will be someone else's job to work out the crippling problems presented by the unrealistic choices made by the designer.

      The odd piece is quite complete and very functional, but usually gets awarded a B for not having enough time spent obsessing over the finishing, because a critical design requirement is to spend dozens of hours sanding.

    5. Re:This is news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i love how apple fans have such fragile egos on jobs' behalf.

      a corporation is not a person (except legally). you don't have to defend them, or feel sorry for them. their purpose is to extract your money.

      i'm sure their lawyers aren't working for free.

    6. Re:This is news? by LordKronos · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's interesting in that it's one of the cases where pursuit of an aesthetic has undermined functionality.

      I don't think that's quite how I'd put it. They haven't chose to ship with the flaws, so I don't think that's undermining anything. It's just R&D that has (so far) failed to come up with a viable product.

  10. Just admit it already by JasoninKS · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Things like this would be less of a "big deal" if Apple would just come out and admit to the problems. Be more straight-forward with the public, and they'll appreciate you and your company more. At least, that's how I figure it.

    1. Re:Just admit it already by mlts · · Score: 1

      Even better, just pull the white option totally, and focus more efforts on the next generation of device.

      Let the iPhone 5 have two colors.

  11. Not good enough. by LoudMusic · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This 'story' smacks of hooey. An entire crock's worth, you might say. Opacity of plastic is not determined by its hue, to my knowledge. I think it has more to do with other performance faults they want to fix before delivering a 'new' product. Or perhaps sales of the previous white iPhones were stellar enough for them to care about doing it again.

    --
    No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
    1. Re:Not good enough. by MaWeiTao · · Score: 1

      I agree. I find it hard to believe it took Apple this long to notice and then address supposed issues with light leakage. I'm having trouble even seeing how this would even ever be a problem.

      Perhaps they decided they were going to try to address the broken glass issue, among others, before they release the white version. It would be rather stupid to go ahead and release alternate color knowing it's got all the problems plaguing the black version.

    2. Re:Not good enough. by TavisJohn · · Score: 1

      I have noticed that some white devices are really clear cases with a white lining in the plastic, and are not made of white plastic. This actually hides scratches and scuffs. But that clear layer may cause issues for the camera for the iPhone.

      I am not an Apple fan, I actually hate how they do many things... But in this case, it may actually be legit.

    3. Re:Not good enough. by Nadaka · · Score: 0, Troll

      Iphone isn't plastic. The POS is fragile, brittle glass and can be shattered by a piece of sand.

      White glass is fairly translucent.

    4. Re:Not good enough. by 19thNervousBreakdown · · Score: 1

      Not to mention, what kind of idiot engineer would design a camera that relied on the opacity of its case, which to him isn't just a black box, but an as-of-yet-nonexistent box? I don't buy it.

      --
      <xml><I><am><so><damn>Web 2.0</damn></so></am></I></xml>
    5. Re:Not good enough. by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

      This 'story' smacks of hooey. An entire crock's worth, you might say. Opacity of plastic is not determined by its hue, to my knowledge.

      If the base polymer is essentially translucent, and the same element used to color it is also used to make it opaque, its quite likely that what is used to color it (which will be different based on the desired target color) will also affect the opacity. And, of course, if different base polymers are used for different case colors, that can also affect translucency.

      Without knowing a lot more about the specific plastics and coloring in the existing black and prototype white iPhone cases, its hard to say more, but its certainly quite plausible that a white iPhone would have light-bleed issues that a black iPhone did not.

    6. Re:Not good enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or perhaps sales of the previous white iPhones were stellar enough for them to care about doing it again.

      Maybe they're holding off releasing it in the hopes that the "old" black iPhone4 will be seen as "last season's" tech gadget, compelling people to upgrade to the "new" white iPhone4.

      I was rather surprised how much of a fashion accessory people's iPhones have become.
      A recent conversation with someone went like:
      "Hey, want to see the cool screen cover I got for my iPhone?"
      "That's nice, but doesn't it make the screen harder to see when outside?"
      "Hmmm... but see how shiny it makes the phone look?!"

      It was interesting to watch them contemplate that they had actually made the phone less useful (even if only for a brief moment).

    7. Re:Not good enough. by DragonWriter · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I find it hard to believe it took Apple this long to notice and then address supposed issues with light leakage.

      Considering that they failed to notice (at least, enough to do anything about it) the antenna problems on the iPhone 4 until after general release, I have no problem at all believing that Apple has serious problems, in general, identifying functional problems produced by styling decisions (perhaps, because they don't do sufficient real world testing with "production" styling, considering functionality and visual styling separate issues.)

    8. Re:Not good enough. by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've seen multiple reviews of iPhone 4 cases on Amazon with comments about some light colored cases causing reflection of the LED flash back into the lens. That would not explain problems with the front facing camera though.

    9. Re:Not good enough. by Bertie · · Score: 1

      You'd have a point if it was plastic. But it's glass.

    10. Re:Not good enough. by e4g4 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Plastic? I was under the impression that it's white paint on glass. I can see getting that to be completely opaque to be a moderately difficult task, particularly at the thicknesses they're working with.

      --
      The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. - Albert Einstein
    11. Re:Not good enough. by blair1q · · Score: 1

      Given the same resins and concentration of colorant, the black one will transmit less light than the white one, because it will absorb more of the light entering the surface and convert it to heat rather than bouncing it from atom to atom.

      What smacks of hooey is that the solution to this problem is simply to put a rubber o-ring of appropriate thickness around each camera to duct it to the phone's surface. Which I'm surprised they don't do with the black one to reduce the chance of dust contamination over time.

    12. Re:Not good enough. by petermgreen · · Score: 2, Informative

      Afaict most plastics in thier natural state (no pigments or dyes added) tend to be translucent.

      Black plastics are black because they have a pigment in them that absorbs lots of light (carbon black is a common one though not the only one). Once light is absorbed it's not going any further though the plastic.

      White plastics are white becase they have a pigment in them that scatters light. As that light is scattered a lot of it comes straight back out but some continues to bounce arround in the plastic potentially making it to the other size.

      So white plastics tend to be worse at blocking light than black ones all else being equal.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    13. Re:Not good enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Love how everyone here is a fucking engineering expert.

    14. Re:Not good enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't know what you're talking about. You seem to have no background in the field. Maybe it's high time you ask questions of those who do know and stop making a total ass out of yourself.

    15. Re:Not good enough. by Lifyre · · Score: 1

      You did see what they did with the Antenna right? I call it lucky they didn't ship it first.

      --
      I'll meet you at the intersection of "Should be" and "Reality"
    16. Re:Not good enough. by SydShamino · · Score: 1

      I don't make consumer devices, but if I did, and I had a manager over my shoulder trying to squeeze every penny out of the unit cost, I wouldn't tell my mechanical engineer to design me an internal light shield for the CCD, just in case the product's outer case lets in a little light. I'd tell my mechanical engineer to incorporate suitable shielding into the outer case.

      Then a year later when management decides to develop a white version, but they aren't interested in paying for new tooling or adding more parts, and the original EE and ME are off working on the iPhone 5, I could see the sustaining team making such a mistake like ordering the exact same outer case in white and expecting it to work.

      --
      It doesn't hurt to be nice.
    17. Re:Not good enough. by PapayaSF · · Score: 1

      I have no problem at all believing that Apple has serious problems, in general, identifying functional problems produced by styling decisions

      Bingo. And I can guess the dynamic: Jobs wants things to look a certain way, and pushes the engineers hard. This produces some great designs, but occasional fails when Jobs overrode the warnings he got. Thus the beautiful Cube case that tended to grow cracks, the notorious round mouse, the iPhone 4 antenna, and maybe a few more.

      --
      Q: What does the "B." in Benoit B. Mandelbrot stand for? A: Benoit B. Mandelbrot
    18. Re:Not good enough. by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1

      It's not a case of hue. It's a case of luminance. White surfaces reflect light, whereas black surfaces absorb light. But you already knew that.

      Ever seen the inside areas of a camera lens body? They're usually black for a reason.

    19. Re:Not good enough. by thegarbz · · Score: 0, Troll

      Yep, but only because you have a palm it off to someone else attitude. Those engineers amongst us who actually like solving problems would think hey since I need a black plastic housing to mount the lens anyway, why not make it 0.5mm longer on one edge to ensure no light can leak into it from the sides. Volah 0 extra cost for a device that sells for $600.

      Frankly this is the reason why the entire thing smells of bullshit to begin with. Pull apart any phone you want and you'll find you won't see a CCD, but rather what looks like a little black lens mounted directly to a motherboard.

    20. Re:Not good enough. by SydShamino · · Score: 1

      You are assuming you need a plastic housing to mount the lens. That's a big assumption. Don't make big assumptions.

      --
      It doesn't hurt to be nice.
    21. Re:Not good enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Opacity of plastic is not determined by its hue, to my knowledge.

      Determined absolutely, no. But for polycarbonate, it is a strong factor. Especially in the thickness used in these phones. It will be at least partly translucent in almost any type of white. Black will be opaque.

      Tried to find opaque polycarb several times and never had any real success, and that was at 1/8" thick.

    22. Re:Not good enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tried to find opaque white polycarb, that is.

    23. Re:Not good enough. by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Not assumption. It's design. Something moves the lens back and forward on phones which can focus, something holds the lens on phones which can't. Go dismantle a phone and have a look. If it doesn't on the iPhone, the question should be why not? Not how can we work around this, I know assume the case is perfectly lightproof.

      I'm all for engineering things cheaply, but what I'm talking about here is engineering things differently, and not necessarily at extra cost. I still don't buy that this is the problem. It won't surprise me at all if the white phone comes out with a slightly different antennae design.

  12. Simple Solution by argmanah · · Score: 4, Funny

    Given how they approached the reception problems by giving away bumper cases, I would have fully expected them to give away black cases to cover up the white plastic.

    --
    Overrated Moderation: This posts sucks... because.
    1. Re:Simple Solution by microbee · · Score: 1

      The funniest comment for the day

  13. White is the New Black by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Deal with it Rick James!

  14. Sorry, that answer is wrong. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We were looking for "Who gives a shit"

  15. Stupid by EkriirkE · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Put a mirror finish/coating the inside of the white glass. This will block light and create an epic glow (enhance the whiteness) that apple fanboys can pray to.

    --
    from 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    to 45 2F 6E 40 3C DF 10 71 4E 41 DF AA 25 7D 31 3F
    1. Re:Stupid by foniksonik · · Score: 1

      I'm thinking they are balancing "green" solutions with requirements. Titanium dioxide paint is quite opaque. But not necessarily a) cheap and b) "green".

      Your idea may have the same downside.

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    2. Re:Stupid by EkriirkE · · Score: 1

      a) Apple
      b) Hmm, perhaps

      --
      from 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
      to 45 2F 6E 40 3C DF 10 71 4E 41 DF AA 25 7D 31 3F
  16. Ob. May West by snspdaarf · · Score: 1

    Is that an iPhone in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?

    --
    Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!
  17. Why post on /.? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apple has made no official announcement about the reason and the information presented here is largely rumor, so why post it on Slashdot? Are we all supposed to throw in our two bit rumors, too? How informative!

    I can tell you, though, the iPhone 4 flash can completely fog pictures if its light gets deflected towards the camera.

  18. White noise by microbee · · Score: 3, Funny

    The press don't get it, do they? The reason is that so many people are already complaining about iPhone 4's signal issue, that the white version is only going to make it worse by introducing white noise.

    1. Re:White noise by Nadaka · · Score: 1

      The pigment used in most white glass is titanium dioxide... The same pigment is known to reduce radio signals in a room when used in paint. So you may actually not be that far off.

  19. electrical tape? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    Light from the case leaks into pictures ... Apple has been looking for a solution to this problem

    Hm. A little slice of electrical tape somewhere inside ... problem solved.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  20. Same reason as last time by formfeed · · Score: 3, Funny

    JoyofTech had a convincing list of reasons the last time: http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/1422.html

  21. The real reason it doesn't exist by mavantix · · Score: 1

    The white iPhone 4 is a unicorn.

  22. It's like, how much more white could this be? by zooblethorpe · · Score: 2, Funny

    And the answer is none. None more white.

    Apologies all around. ;-)

    Cheers,

    --
    "What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
    "A four-foot prune."
  23. Eeww... by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

    I find it hard to believe it took Apple this long to notice and then address supposed issues with light leakage

    I thought "light leakage" was a side effect of Alli?

    This explains how Steve Jobs lost all that weight...

    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  24. Well sorta by hellfire · · Score: 1

    I know you want to pat Apple on the back but let's be fair, Apple set lots of expectations. The first expectation is that Apple said at launch the white one would be available soon after the black one, and it's not. On one hand you have to make sure it's right, on the other hand you, you have the Duke Nukem Forever syndrome. You have to ship or cancel at some point. The second expectation that the iPhone 5, whatever that is, will be announced 3 months after the iPhone 4 white is now due out. April is the month when iPhone sales started to trickle down as more people put off waiting for #4. Exactly who's going to get all excited about a white iPhone at that point?

    Apple should have had this sorted out by the holiday season or just axed it. Spring of next year is too late. I would have more respect if they just came out and said "sorry we goofed, no white iPhone 4 because it will take too long to fix the problems we had at fabrication."

    I'm happy they are identifying real problems and not shipping with this defect but I'm not exactly thrilled about their handling of it either.

    --

    "All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"

    1. Re:Well sorta by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 1

      Also keep in mind that no matter how they deal with the issue someone will still bitch, moan whine and complain about how they handled it. :)

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    2. Re:Well sorta by mug+funky · · Score: 1

      the fact still remains that if any other company mis-manages something, they get owned. you really think apple is being persecuted and it's your mission to defend them? apple gave up "underdog status" years ago, but the fans still defend them to the end. sad.

  25. My theory. by RightSaidFred99 · · Score: 1

    Apple is cynical enough to know that if you're a typical Apple fan and you just bought an iPhone 4, you would have a really hard time justifying selling your old one and buying a new one just because it's white. However if you've had it a few months, you might be inclined to do this as it doesn't seem like you "just bought" your other iPhone 4.

    And yes, many Apple fans are the type who will literally rebuy the same phone because of a color change... or because they cynically withheld features from a first rev of a product to make you want to buy the second generation less than a year later (which is what will happen with the iPad).

  26. Gorilla glass by hellfire · · Score: 4, Informative

    Specifically, it's gorilla glass, which is scientifically proven to be harder than regular glass, but let's not get in the way of a good anti-iPhone rant.

    Yes you are correct it is not plastic. Just wanted to help you line up all the facts so you didn't have to stop railing annoyingly against the target of your anger.

    --

    "All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"

    1. Re:Gorilla glass by Lifyre · · Score: 1

      Just out of curiosity does that it is made from harder glass mean it's not made from fragile, brittle glass?

      Or that white glass is fairly translucent?

      --
      I'll meet you at the intersection of "Should be" and "Reality"
    2. Re:Gorilla glass by mug+funky · · Score: 1

      the black iphone4 wasn't made of gorilla glass... just regular tempered glass. that (and the flawed design) is why they are even easier to break than iphone 3's. apple fans: get a sense of humour. you see windows users defending a _company_ tooth and nail? apple's lawyers don't work for free you know.

    3. Re:Gorilla glass by jackbird · · Score: 1

      Check out the gorilla glass testing videos on the Dow Corning site, and tell me how fragile and brittle it appears to be. That having been said, our babysitter has an iPhone with a noticeably broken screen.

    4. Re:Gorilla glass by sapphire+wyvern · · Score: 1

      With many substances, an increase in hardness (harder to scratch) is correlated with a decrease in toughness (shatters more easily when stressed).

      I wonder if that's true for gorilla glass?

    5. Re:Gorilla glass by Nadaka · · Score: 1

      It isn't. Gorilla glass is both scratch resistant and flexible, you can actually take a piece and flex it quite far without it breaking.

      but the iphone isn't made of gorilla glass. Just regular glass.

  27. Solution by thedonger · · Score: 1

    The case can be an LCD and when the camera is activated it turns opaque. QED

    Mr. Jobs: You can credit my PayPal account directly. I know you're rich but I still don't accept personal checks.

    --
    Help fight poverty: Punch a poor person.
    1. Re:Solution by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      The case can be an LCD and when the camera is activated it turns opaque. QED

      Mr. Jobs: You can credit my PayPal account directly. I know you're rich but I still don't accept personal checks.

      Unless you had that patented before you posted, it's just considered prior art now and free for anybody to use.

  28. It definitely has nothing to do with marketing by atmurray · · Score: 1

    There is no way it is a marketing ploy to get people to buy a second iPhone 4 when the elusive "white" model is available because iPhone consumers are only interested in the raw features and functionality of the device. It has nothing to do with cosmetic looks, I guarantee it! I have a white 3GS :$

  29. Clear case ? Pshaw! by kimanaw · · Score: 1

    You're just holding it wrong!

    --
    007: "Who are you?"
    Pussy: "My name is Pussy Galore."
    007: "I must be dreaming..."
  30. I'd totally buy that! by Kostya · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you could get the apple logo to glow on the back like that MacBooks do, I'd totally buy that.

    And maybe pray to it occasionally.

    --
    "Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs." -- Switchfoot, Ode to Chin
  31. What white noise. by tqk · · Score: 1

    Why does this remind me of such gripping issues such as *buntu changing its desktop background or default font?

    "Black? White? Hmm. So many choices. Nah, I'll wait six months until the white one comes out."

    Nuts. Absolutely nuts. BTW, no, I don't want one. I'm just astonished by this phenom. It's the color of the case, not the tech., that's important?

    Whoosh.

    --
    "Tongue tied and twisted, just an Earth bound misfit ..." -- Pink Floyd.
    1. Re:What white noise. by h2o · · Score: 1

      I'd prefer to wait until they come out with color like water.

  32. I have a question... by mullen490 · · Score: 1

    ...who cares?

    Hey, I have a news story to submit: Motorola just released a R2-D2 version of the Droid 2!

  33. Isn't this kinda silly? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    People are fascinated by a phone of a different color being delayed.

    A. Different. Color.

  34. Or not? by Ilgaz · · Score: 0, Troll

    Fix it before you ship it.

    If I was working at Apple or even boss of it, I would not care that much.
    Did it flop because of it? No, it basically sold even more after the amazing amount of PR and fan apologies.
    If you look deeper, the childish removal of Flash, Java etc. It all makes sense when you have 99% of customer base reasoning and actually fighting with other people to defend your decisions.
    How many iPhones were returned because of antenna issues? Dare to have a guess?

  35. Apple and others by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

    Basically, nobody other than Apple has any right to ship a device with an obvious issue.
    Nokia almost crashed because of underpowered N97. It is just -kind of- being fixed with Nokia N8 and CEO etc. changes.
    MS gave up the entire Windows Mobile and started from zero with Windows 7. That is the company who is still rumored to keep some code from Windows 95 all the way to Windows 7.
    If a manufacturer like HTC does ship something buggy/problematic, they have no cult to apologize for them or flame others. Nokia thought it actually had such fan base and saw the sad truth with N97 and hundred billion dollars of lost value.
    These manufacturers and software vendors (MS Win 7, Symbian, MeeGo) actually knows they will go under if they do same mistake couple of times in row so they could be forced to code/design better.

  36. Re:Calling others cowards & then blowing it, f by wampus · · Score: 1

    What the happy fuck are you rambling about, ac?

  37. Re:Calling others cowards & then blowing it, f by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    It's some AC that goes by apk that is upset I called him a coward when calling him out when he posted multiple yet contradictory messages as an AC yet leaving enough clues that they were all from the same person.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  38. runs on and on and on... by X0563511 · · Score: 1

    "This problem is non-existent on the Black iPhone 4 because of its already black case so Apple has been looking for a solution to this problem thus the delay of the White iPhone 4 till spring of next year."

    Have some more sugar, why don't you!

    (read it in Pillsie's voice for bonus points)

    --
    For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  39. It can see the distotion field! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The distortion isn't from light leakage - this magical iPhone can take pictures with the Apple reality distortion field removed! Mr. Jobs can't let his addicts^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hcustomers see reality - they won't buy the phones if they do. Imagine if an iPhone owner could take a picture of themselves and see reality (and see a sheepel wanker instead of hipster).

  40. Kanye West by trisomytwentyone · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Steve Jobs doesn't care about white cases"

  41. Incorrect by SydShamino · · Score: 1

    I develop switch products for the automated test industry. One of our products, developed several years ago, uses solid-state relays (SSRs) to implement a matrix. The first batch of SSRs we got for R&D use had a white overmolded body.

    During development the original developer had problems with relays intermittently operating on their own (i.e. without the digital control system driving them). We correlated it to tests performed when the module was in its chassis versus on an extender card operating outside the chassis. We figured out that we could shine a hand-held laser on a single part and it would close, or use a flashlight and a large group would close.

    We reported the problem to the SSR vendor. Their solution? Without changing the plastic type, they changed from a white to a black overmold. Voila, problem solved.

    Product ships today with the same relay, with no problems.

    (It did take a bit of time to figure this out, because the control system was brand new and it was thought that the system had intermittent bugs. It wasn't obvious that it was light related at first as it needed sufficient light for the SSR's internal photo-voltaic to generate enough-current to close the contacts; ambient office lighting wasn't always enough.)

    --
    It doesn't hurt to be nice.
  42. Unicorns exist! King David said so in Psalms. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Psalm 22:21 "Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns."

    U-nicorns-Mad, for the win!

  43. You do realize... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You people do realize that this whole waiting-for-the-white-iphone thing is merely a psychological marketing trick to build up buzz and anticipation?

  44. i don't care by AP31R0N · · Score: 1

    Youtube: FL7yD-0pqZg

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    Utilizing the synergization of benchmark e-solutions to pre-workaround action items!
  45. Easy fix by KiwiCanuck · · Score: 1

    I fail to see the issue. All Apple has to say is that black is the new white and everyone will buy black. Problem solved. Apple has made tech fashionable.

  46. Marketing is having trouble convincing Jobs by rnturn · · Score: 1

    They want him to appear onstage during the announcement wearing a white turtleneck. Jobs is having none of that.

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    CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
  47. Wow. by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    So all this excitement is just about the color of the outside of the phone? REALLY?

    Wow, this has got to me a new low for consumerism.

    To the person out there waiting to dump their black iPhone 4 for a while one: You, sir, are an idiot.
    Not because you distract corporations from developing the useful functionality that I am holding off on smartphones for, not even because you are materialistic and shallow beyond all belief. You are an idiot just for being you.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  48. Re:Where UnknowingFool got caught messing up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Finally somebody to contest Michael David Kristopiets reign as "most mentally ill slashdot poster".

  49. The real reason by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll tell you exactly what the real reason is....Apple don't want to use up all of their "product life cycle extension strategies" until their competitors have entered the market. They want to wait until the Galaxy Tab and Playbook are released so that they can see how popular they are. The Galaxy Tab has positioned itself both as a phone and as a tablet PC, and as such Apple are waiting to see how successful this will be before they move to neutraize the threat by bringing out a white iPhone and a new version of the iPad. They want to see how many people buy sim free Galaxy Tab and how many will actually buy a Tab to use as a phone. If it turns out that the Galaxy Tab is a viable competitor to both the iPhone and iPad then I'd be very interested to see what other strategies Steve Jobs has up his sleeve!