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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."

57 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. 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: 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.

    3. 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.........
    4. 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
    5. 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.

    6. 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
    7. 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."

    8. 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!

    9. 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...

    10. 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.
    11. 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).

  2. 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.

  3. 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 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. 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.

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

    Thanks for keeping it classy -_-

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

    Why do you need a white one, anyway?

    1. 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?
    2. 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.

    3. 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.

  7. 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

  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.
  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 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.
    2. 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.

    3. 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.

  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 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.)

    2. 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.

    3. 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
    4. 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
    5. Re:Not good enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Love how everyone here is a fucking engineering expert.

  12. 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?
  13. 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.
  14. 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.

  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
  16. 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.

  17. 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.

  18. 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).
  19. 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.

  20. 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.
  21. 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

  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. 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/

  24. 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"

  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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/

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

    "Steve Jobs doesn't care about white cases"

  29. 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