White iPhone 4 Coming Today

An anonymous reader writes "Initially, the white iPhone 4 will be available in 28 countries including the US, UK, Australia, China, Japan, and Italy. It will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model with a new two year agreement through the Apple Store, AT&T and Verizon Wireless stores (as rumored earlier) and select Apple Authorized Resellers."

Comments

omg omg white iphone4

[Anonymous Coward]

The day has finally come i'm so HAPPY.

Re:omg omg white iphone4

[Anonymous Coward]

To think i was going to get a dual core Samsung galaxy s2, but now i don't have to.

Price?

[oji-sama]

It will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model with a new two year agreement

That's a crazy way to state the price. Or are the prices for the agreements always the same, whatever phone you choose

Re:Price?

[Aladrin]

The prices for plans are always the same for each provider. They differ between providers, though.

For most providers, the plan prices are the same even if you don't take their deal on a phone. (A few have cheaper rates if you don't.)

Re:Price?

[k_187]

The agreement can vary depending on features. Still looking at a minimum of $70ish dollars a month though.

Re:Price?

[Cimexus]

Agreed - can't stand the crazy way the Apple US store quotes its prices. The phone does NOT cost $199/$299. It costs significantly more than that, an amount which you pay off over the next 2 years by virtue of the binding service contract you sign with the service provider. That monthly ongoing cost is not just the cost of the plan alone - it also includes a repayment for the handset, though the exact breakdown isn't revealed.

So really for a better idea of the cost of the actual phone itself, it would be better to look at the cost Apple are quoting in countries outside the US where you buy the phone outright, unlocked, and off-contract. For example:

Australia (http://store.apple.com/au/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone?mco=MTAyNTQzMjI)

16GB: $859
32GB: $999

Canada (http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone?mco=MTAyNTQzMjI)

16GB: $659
32GB: $779

(And wow ... never knew how much we got ripped off in Australia - the AUD is worth the same or slightly more than the CAD, but our prices are ~$200 more than in Canada. Argh!)

Re:Price?

[awyeah]

It costs significantly more than that, an amount which you pay off over the next 2 years by virtue of the binding service contract you sign with the service provider.

That isn't just Apple, it's every phone. Even the cheap or free flip phones cost significantly more than what you pay for them.

In the US, our carriers do subsidies, and you commit to a contract term in return for that subsidy. It's always worked that way (at least as long as I've owned a cell phone, since about 1998)

You're always free to pay the full price for the phone and not lock into a contract. The only difference is that with other brands of phone, the carrier will usually unlock it for you after a period of time, but that won't happen with Apple.

I think the full prices for the iPhone are $599 and $699, if memory serves me.

- Dave

Re:Price?

[nedlohs]

A phone is pretty useless without service. And sure if they actually charged a lower plan fee if you bought the phone outright then you would have a point. But (in the market those prices are relevant to) they don't so there isn't one.

Re:Price?

[oji-sama]

I'm not sure that "You don't have a point, because the phone companies are ripping off the users (in certain markets)" is very good one. Perhaps this is something that should be changed?

Re:Price?

[Anonymous Coward]

AT&T charged me more when I didn't take their deal.

Re:Price?

[torqer]

you're even more ripped off when you consider that the AUD is pretty much on par with the USD.

In the states the phones are retailing for $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB).

How do you like them apples?

Torqer.

Re:Price?

[cculianu]

You're always free to pay the full price for the phone and not lock into a contract.

No, you aren't. You can't even GET an unlocked iPhone for full price in the USA. It's a shame, really. You can go to France or Canada though, and get one. Land of the free!

Re:Price?

[cpu6502]

>>>Still looking at a minimum of $70ish dollars a month though.

Ouch.
That's how much Comcast cable costs! (shrug) I prefer my $0/month phone plan. Maybe if I was a subway or metro commuter I'd see the value in a smart phone to fill-in the time, but with my current lifestyle I'm always in front of a computer (at work or home).

Re:Price?

[nedlohs]

The claim was basically "That monthly ongoing cost is not just the cost of the plan alone - it also includes a repayment for the handset, though the exact breakdown isn't revealed."

But that's not the case. There is no payment for the handset included in the monthly ongoing cost. Because if you buy the plan without getting a new phone you still pay the exact same price.

Sure in reality they are just making more money from people who bring their own phone, but when you are talking about the retail price there is no difference.

I agree it's stupid, but that doesn't make the claim any more valid.

Re:Price?

[Missing.Matter]

Because if you buy the plan without getting a new phone you still pay the exact same price.

This just means you are subsidizing someone else's phone.

Re:Price?

[Malc]

Don't forget that the Aussie prices include 10% GST, whereas the Canadian ones are exclusive of tax. The difference is still big.

I wanted to the buy the Lonely Planet guide to New Zealand when I was in 'stralya a couple of years ago. $45 from the local book shop. $37 from Amazon.co.uk, including nearly $20 of airmail shipping from the other side of the planet. Ouch.

Re:Price?

[oji-sama]

Of course the plan contains repayment for the handset. Around here you pick a plan (0-40€) and then you may pick a phone (+5-25€ depending on the model) on top of that. And the phone is usually (not always) a bit cheaper than from the shop, because they get you as a customer for 2 years. It's the same for you, just without the choice.

Re:Price?

[Dallas Caley]

Minor correction..

"Even the cheap or free flip phones cost significantly more than what you pay for them." Actually I just bricked my iPhone 3g a month or so ago and I was still on contract so I had to pay full price for a cheap flip phone. My total cost

But still if you think about it, the cost of the iPhone even without a contract isn't that much. You are essentially getting a laptop computer (al-beit a low power one) But its super-engineered to fit in a small space. Think about how much more you pay for a laptop vs a tower computer (same concept). Also if you compare it to how much you would pay if you purchased a $500 item on credit (or god forbid one of those Rent-a-center ripoffs) you're actually getting off pretty easy.

Re:Price?

[Dallas Caley]

dang less than sign, i meant to say my total cost was less than $30 but i'm guessing the htmlspecialchars filter removed my symbol

Re:Price?

[EraserMouseMan]

How cool, thanks Steve! We get a new agreement too! That old legality-ridden "contract" concept they used to use felt so restrictive. That's just Apple for ya. Filling the world with agreement.

Re:Price?

[Lord_of_the_nerf]

That's a crazy way to state the price. Or are the prices for the agreements always the same, whatever phone you choose

$199 + Last dregs of integrity because you waited until it came in a colour to match your Macbook you Fanboy/girl?

Hmm....doesn't quite fit on a price tag.

Re:Price?

[Just Some Guy]

Agreed - can't stand the crazy way the Apple US store quotes its prices. The phone does NOT cost $199/$299. It costs significantly more than that, an amount which you pay off over the next 2 years by virtue of the binding service contract you sign with the service provider.

Except that the phone+data plan costs the same whether you're using an iPhone or something else. Presuming you were going to have phone service anyway, the cost of using an iPhone with that service is $199/$299. That's like saying that a car doesn't really cost $X because that amount doesn't account for fuel consumption. That might make more sense for cars where different models cost different amounts to operate, but falls down here where the monthly costs are identical regardless of which phone you buy.

Re:Price?

[Anonymous Coward]

Glad to see that you're back on Slashdot reminding us all how much money you don't spend.

Re:Price?

[Cimexus]

Well fair enough then. Wasn't aware that the plan was still the same cost if you brought your own phone (that seems ridiculous to me).

Note that here we have both options. You can buy the phone outright/unlocked from Apple and just pop your existing SIM in it. Or, you can choose to buy a subsidised phone from a carrier for a cheaper up-front cost but a 2 year contracted plan. BUT note that the very same plan is cheaper per month if you bring your own phone than if you are paying a phone off. A portion of the monthly fee is thus a handset repayment (though it isn't usually separately listed on your bill or anything).

Re:Price?

[Cimexus]

Actually it's even sadder - the AUD is quite a bit above 'on par' with the USD now. 1 AUD = 109.3 US cents right this minute.

Re:Price?

[langelgjm]

In the US, our carriers do subsidies, and you commit to a contract term in return for that subsidy. It's always worked that way (at least as long as I've owned a cell phone, since about 1998). You're always free to pay the full price for the phone and not lock into a contract.

Here's what I don't understand. Let's say you do pay full price for a phone... why is your monthly rate the same as someone who buys a subsidized phone?

Re: Price?

[Cimexus]

Ouch. I have an iPhone 4 on a month-to-month plan (no contract) plan here in Australia with 1.5 GB data and more calls/SMS than I'd ever hope to use for ~$25/month. And this is ~Australia~ we are talking about, with generally one of the highest costs of living in the Western world.

Mind you I bought the phone outright/unlocked, so the initial outlay was more. But over 2-3 years, it works out ~significantly~ cheaper (for my usage patterns at least) to do it that way. Not to mention that, because you aren't on contract, and phone plans are constantly getting revised and becoming better in value, the ability to change to a better plan as soon as a company releases one means that you definitely save money.

Re:Price?

[jitterman]

What I don't understand about this is, you need a service provider any way. I understand the desire to not be locked in so that if you decide you don't care for your current company you can easily switch. But you're still going to be paying _someone_ a monthly fee. Will their plans be cheaper for you, the individual, if you buy an unlocked phone at full price? I don't see evidence of that anywhere. No flame, just honest inquiry.

Re:Price?

[nedlohs]

Which I said in the next sentence.

Re:Price?

[nedlohs]

Which is exactly what I said, thanks for repeating it.

Re:Price?

[demonlapin]

Check your consumer protection laws. They are minimal in the US, which is no small part of why stuff is so much cheaper here. Retailers, for example, do not generally have to accept returns of anything but DOA merchandise - after a minimal period (30 days or less) you have to get your service from the manufacturer. All those two year warranties with service at the store where you bought it aren't free - just look at the UK.

Re:Price?

[oji-sama]

"But that's not the case. There is no payment for the handset included in the monthly ongoing cost."

I don't agree with this statement.

Re:Price?

[quacking duck]

You forget though, in Australia the 10% GST is included in the price, whereas in Canada provincial taxes are different so they (plus federal tax) are not reflected in the "sticker price."

This means the Aussie prices would be about $780 and $908. Still a fair bit higher, I'll admit, but not $200 higher.

Re:Price?

[jo_ham]

You can get your iPhone carrier unlocked here in the UK at the end of your contract, or you can start with an unlocked one for full price.

Re:Price?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ostensibly because the subsidized person has locked themselves into a 2 year contract to pay the monthly service fee, whereas the unlocked phone purchaser has not. Not that reality always matches that, but it's the working premise.

Re:Price?

[delinear]

Presumably because you're not locked into a contract and the "risk" of you leaving somehow coincidentally equates, in monetary value, to the same as someone getting a phone subsidy while locked in.

Re:Price?

[Dragonslicer]

Here's what I don't understand. Let's say you do pay full price for a phone... why is your monthly rate the same as someone who buys a subsidized phone?

T-Mobile is cheaper if you don't get a subsidized phone. Too bad that probably won't survive the AT&T purchase.

Re:Price?

[nedlohs]

It's qualified with "Sure in reality they are just making more money from people who bring their own phone".

You can't tell them "I already have a phone, please don't include the handset payment cost in my plan" and have them do so. Because it isn't part of the price. You don't pay extra (in the monthly charge) if you get the phone so there's no "payment" included.

In many markets (and some providers in the US, though not the ones that offer the iPhone) you can get a cheaper plan if you bring your own phone. For them, clearly there is a payment for the handset in the monthly ongoing cost. But for the plans being discussed here there is not. Just like there's no "payment for the CEOs bonus" in the plan, even though it all ends up coming out of them.

Re:Price?

[delinear]

Also worth noting that phone companies spend significantly more to attract and keep pay as you go customers than contract (because once you're locked in you aren't going anywhere). That's a cost saving per contract customer that's also used to subsidise the handset. If the phone companies really thought there was no lost value to them in you being able to change providers at the drop of a hat they wouldn't make such a big deal about you leaving/cancelling on one. It's also guaranteed income which allows them to more accurately plan investments, etc whereas with pay as you go they have no idea, from one month to the next, whether they'll be getting your money, that also feeds back into the system and makes it financially viable for them to subsidise the phone. There are a lot of non-obvious factors at play here that aren't immediately apparent from a direct price comparison of contract versus pay as you go rates.

Re:Price?

[Bing Tsher E]

Apparently he didn't catch the news that slashdot was a bling-wanna site now. Happy Consumers. Joy. etc.

Re:Price?

[cayenne8]

Wow....that must be the minimum ATT plan with an iPhone. Mine is middle of the road and is roughly $110 or so a month...

Re:Price?

[langelgjm]

Yeah, that's kind of what I had thought. Unfortunately it kind of kills the market for unsubsidized phones... the only advantage of buying an unsubsidized phone from most people's perspective is the ability to move to another provider whenever you want. Of course, given that the major providers use incompatible technologies in their networks, that benefit is pretty much gutted.

I'm actually willing to take the contract in exchange for the subsidized phone, I just wish they didn't put crappy branded firmware on everything.

Re:Price?

[cayenne8]

Here's what I don't understand. Let's say you do pay full price for a phone... why is your monthly rate the same as someone who buys a subsidized phone?

Because in the US, that outlier situation just isn't something the phone companies systems are set up for....

I'd dare say, if you asked most US citizens, they'd have no idea people purchase phones any other way than to get a new one at $X for 2 year contract. The concept of buying an unsubsidized phone with contract is foreign to them.

So, I'd dare say with the paradigm that has been in place since the start of the US cell phone business, the systems at the phone co. just aren't even set up to accommodate this since it just isn't normally done in the US.

Re:Price?

[mosb1000]

the "risk" of you leaving somehow coincidentally equates, in monetary value, to the same as someone getting a phone subsidy while locked in.

I think a better way to say it is that the benefit of vendor lock-in is, to them, worth the cost of subsidizing the phones. It's really the same as what you said, but it sounds a lot more plausible for some reason.

Re: Price?

[a1englishman]

Ouch. I have an iPhone 4 on a month-to-month plan (no contract) plan here in Australia ... for ~$25/month. ...the ability to change to a better plan as soon as a company releases one means that you definitely save money.

Sadly, things aren't like that in The States. The service will cost you $70 whether you bought the phone outright or not. It doesn't drop once the contract is over, once the phone is paid off, nada. And that's the giant scam, and why you're better off getting the next best phone once the contract is over, because you're paying for it anyway.

Re:Price?

[Wovel]

You know the agreement is not with Apple don't you?

Re:Price?

[mbessey]

> Let's say you do pay full price for a phone... why is your monthly rate the same as someone who buys a subsidized phone?

Because they can, and because consumers don't understand how the subsidy works. I have known people to hold onto their old, broken, held together with duct tape phones for years after they were eligible for a free replacement.

Re:Price?

[Macrat]

No, you aren't. You can't even GET an unlocked iPhone for full price in the USA. It's a shame, really. You can go to France or Canada though, and get one. Land of the free!

I had a friend pick up one for me in the Hong Kong Apple Store.

Just popped in my T-Mobile SIM and I was up and running.

Re:Price?

[Dzimas]

That isn't just Apple, it's every phone. Even the cheap or free flip phones cost significantly more than what you pay for them.

I have an LG Optimus One android phone that cost me $199 without contract. It's on a prepaid service that runs about $25 per month (voice + data), and it's possible to get dozens of quite decent flip phones for under $100. Most of the time I'm within range of an accessible wifi hotspot, so my data use is surprisingly low. After doing the math, I simply can't justify spending an extra $600 or so a year for an iPhone.

Re:Price?

[Macrat]

Here's what I don't understand. Let's say you do pay full price for a phone... why is your monthly rate the same as someone who buys a subsidized phone?

ATT will rip you off no matter what you chose.

T-Mobile's unlimited text and data plan (no extra charges for tethering) is $19.99

MUCH cheaper than ATT or Verizon's rates.

Re:Price?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not true - you can buy an no-contract iPhone for full price at the Apple Store. Go to the Apple Store website, select one of the phones, and then click on the question at the bottom: "Is a new contract with AT&T required?" You'll see this answer:
"Additionally, the Apple Retail Store offers a no-commitment iPhone for the full retail price."
This link may show you the page: https://buyiphone.apple.com/WebObjects/IPACustomer.woa/wo/0.0.1.3.3.0.3.11.3.1.1

Re:Price?

[Altus]

when I bought one at the apple store they asked me if I would be signing up with AT&T (this was pre-verizon). I didnt actually ask to see if I could just buy it full price but they certainly implied it. They also told me what the real cost was (you have to pay sales tax on the actual price, not the subsidized price).

Have you actually tried to buy a phone without a contract?

Re:Price?

[Algae_94]

We'll see if that continues when T-mobile is officially swallowed up by AT&T. Then it will just be AT&T rates.

Re:Price?

[Macrat]

We'll see if that continues when T-mobile is officially swallowed up by AT&T. Then it will just be AT&T rates.

Sadly, yes.

Re:Price?

[mjwx]

(And wow ... never knew how much we got ripped off in Australia - the AUD is worth the same or slightly more than the CAD, but our prices are ~$200 more than in Canada. Argh!)

Actually this is only for Iphones.

I recently bought a HTC Desire Z from Smooth Mobile and paid about A$20 more then I would have for a European import.

Also at $550 delivered, it's almost half the cost of an Iphone with a more modern 45 nm processor.

I think it's time to admit, that with an Iphone, you just get ripped off.

DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[cculianu]

$199 sounds like a great price but you get locked in to AT&T. I travel a lot and AT&T's international roaming fees are highway robbery. I'm in Romania right now and when I can be spending something like 5 Euros for 3000 minutes on a pre-paid card on Vodafone, why would I pay AT&T $0.29/minute or whatever they want to charge me for the privilege of being an American in Europe?

It's too bad you can't legally obtain an unlocked iPhone in the USA. You have to go to CANADA to do that. Land of the free indeed.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

We have the best laws money can buy, citizen.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[Xacid]

Pre-paid card = pre-paid sim card?

If so would that work on any iphone at all out there?

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[cbope]

Not in a locked iPhone, citizen.

Thankfully some of us live in the EU and outer places where such tactics are illegal and mobile rates are not through the roof.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[Mascot]

$0.29/minute? Heck, it's more expensive being a European in Europe in that case. I'd pay almost three times that to call home from Romania while roaming, and I live in Europe.

I don't believe it's your home operator robbing you by the way, but rather the roaming partner in the country you are visiting.

Of course, your point about the phone being operator locked is a valid one. I don't think I'd ever consider buying an operator locked phone; the market here is very different from the US. But nothing should be stopping you from buying a cheap unlocked phone for use with locally bought pre-paid cards to work around the issue?

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[filthpickle]

Maybe you can't legally do it...but you can easily do it. You can also easily unlock you own. It was/is illegal to copy music to a blank cassette tape...but everyone agreed that was stupid and did it anyway.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[cculianu]

Sure. I can do that. But I'm an iPhone developer. I need to have my iPhone. I can't be running around iPhone-less because it costs me business and clients. And yes, I need to have the phone working on a network for some of my testing.

So I can either buy an unlocked iPhone and spend an additional $700 or more -- or do some illegal stuff like violate the DMCA and unlock my phone using Utrasn0w. That is, if I am lucky enough to have a specific model of iPhone (01.59.00 firmware) that actually is unlockable.

I wish what Apple is doing were deemed illegal. It feels like it ought to be.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[cculianu]

No, you can't. As of the time of this posting no unlocks exist for newer iPhone 4 models. No holes have been found to do the unlocks on anything other than 01.59.00 baseband. It is unknown whether they will ever be found and any unlock will ever again be available.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[linuxwolf69]

Didn't US Gov say that jailbreaking (unlocking) phones were legal? That since we have purchased the device, it's ours to do with what we want?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_jailbreaking

Under the DMCA of 2010, jailbreaking is legal in the United States, although Apple has announced that the practice "can violate the warranty.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[Mascot]

I guess in your case it boils down to cost/benefit then. If you're spending significant time abroad, and iPhone development is your living, buying an unlocked iPhone while abroad should make good business sense. $700 doesn't translate into that many billable hours for a consultant.

Isn't it also possible to pay AT&T extra to unlock? I don't know how it is in the US, but here the lock-in is basically to ensure you stick with them long enough to finish paying for the phone. If you choose you can pay your way out of it.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[filthpickle]

You're right...I wasn't thinking that we were talking about the new ones. My mistake. I have become disenchanted enough with my 3GS that I had already decided that I was going to try another phone whenever this one breaks. I used to like it...but with every iOS update it seems to run slower and slower....add in that in the last few months I can't send/receive calls/text messages at my house (which worked fine for the first several years I had a 3G then a 3GS).

Your initial comment is not flamebait btw....hope someone with mod points sees that.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[nman64]

We have the best laws money can buy, subject.

There, fixed that for ya'.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[jittles]

Hey I paid AT&T $1.50 for a phone call that I let go to voicemail while I was in Germany. Can you believe that? I didn't even answer the damned call!

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm in Romania right now and when I can be spending something like 5 Euros for 3000 minutes on a pre-paid card on Vodafone, why would I pay AT&T $0.29/minute or whatever they want to charge me for the privilege of being an American in Europe?

Gah! Could you quote your prices in the same units, please? :)

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[Provocateur]

Land of the free, with new 2 year activation.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[Anonymous Coward]

What the fuck are you talking about?

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[Macrat]

Isn't it also possible to pay AT&T extra to unlock? I don't know how it is in the US, but here the lock-in is basically to ensure you stick with them long enough to finish paying for the phone. If you choose you can pay your way out of it.

Neither Apple or ATT will unlock iPhones.

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[Xacid]

While I appreciate your reply I don't quite understand your answer.

I'll rephrase my questions in case I was difficult to understand.

1) Is the term "pre-paid card" in this instance referring to a "pre-paid sim card"?

2) Are there iphones made for other countries that do accept sim cards?

3) If the answer is both "no" to 1 and 2, then by what method is a prepaid card utilized?

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[YoopDaDum]

Yes, pre-paid card = pre-paid SIM card.

Would that work on any iPhone? Not necessarily. In Europe you can buy either subsidized or unsubsidized phones, at your choice. If it's subsidized, the phone is typically locked and will only accept a SIM card from the operator subsidizing the phone, which makes sense. This locking is time limited, after a while (can't remember how long...) you're entitled to ask the operator to unlock your phone. An unlocked phone is like all unsubsidized phone and will accept any SIM card you stick into it. So here using a pre-paid SIM would work on an unlocked phone, but not in a locked on.
Maybe there are variations depending on the European countries, but I guess this description is valid in most European countries (at least it's in mine ;)

Re:DRM LOCKED and BLOCKED

[Xacid]

Thanks! :)

Really?

[Slash.Poop]

Is this what /. has come to? A story about a different color being available for an Apple product?

Re:Really?

[Hultis]

Frankly I have kinda been looking forward to this thread and all the clever iPhone trashing that is likely to ensue.

Re:Really?

[uncanny]

It's really more about the lack of quality of news on the website that people are annoyed by, a slashvertisement if you will.
it's the way local news is going too, "American idol local sports team something about puppies and less, not news at 11"

Re:Really?

[maxwell demon]

But ... a white iPhone makes a whole lot of difference! After all, think of the change in the reflective properties! Your room will get brighter! OK, only a very little bit which you'll not notice anyway, and only as long as the phone isn't in your pocket, but hey, don't be so critical! A white iPhone ... is white! Yes, really! You surely didn't think of that! You know, it's something you don't get with any other iPhone but with a white one! That's big news!

SCNR :-)

Re:Really?

[filthpickle]

I understand your point, but the GP has a point too....which is that this is as much an opportunity for people to drool over some new apple product as it is for people to slam it for being inane. They are tossing them a softball. Not that I think they would need it.

Re:Really?

[Inda]

It's the new an improved white that's whiter than white. Three shades of white higher than the previous white. So white, you can use it as a coastal beacon warn off passing ships.

Oh, and they added magnesium oxide or aluminium oxide to the plastic, possibly.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Luckily, South Park today released some calming balm in the form of THE HUMANCENTiPAD!

Oh, and I stopped seeing Apple users as humans. To be humans they would have to be separate entities instead of a resource that is used and controlled and has no own opinion or will.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

one hundred years and all of Apples might to offer a second option to Henry Fords original color palette - Media duly notified!

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

I understand your point, but the GP has a point too....which is that this is as much an opportunity for people to drool over some new apple product as it is for people to slam it for being inane.

If it's an Apple product wouldn't it be iNane?

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well look at it is this way: we now get the privilege of being allowed to ditch our new phones for a new color.

Re:Really?

[jo_ham]

Considering that the anti-Apple folk were dancing in the streets over the white version being announced at launch and not shipped due to technical problems, I guess people thought you'd all want to know about it - the number of "so when's the white one coming out? lolcats!" posts suggested that this story was much anticipated.

This is why Blizzard has an enormously long disclaimer about the specific meanings of words in its press releases like "planning" and "expected" and "soon (tm)".

If there's going to be a "lolz wherez the whyte one!" troll post in iPhone articles don;t be surprised when there's a story about it when it does ship.

Re:Really?

[antdude]

Apple pays /. :P.

Re:Really?

[John Hasler]

Yeah. Can't you guys just buy a can of white spray paint?

Re:Really?

[Compaqt]

What's really funny is the fanboyishness of the article. I quote:

"Initially, the white iPhone 4 will be available in 28 countries which includes US, UK, Australia, China, Japan, Italy and other lucky countries."

Lucky countries?

We're so grateful that Apple deigned to give us a white iPhone.

OpenMoko or bust!

Re:Really?

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Is this what /. has come to? A story about a different color being available for an Apple product?

It's almost a full year late and this site loves bashing Apple. What are you surprised about?

Frontpage of /.?

[Anonymous Coward]

A nearly one year old device gets a new plastic shell?

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[jonr]

That sums it up nicely. A phone gets a new plastic shell. Now excuse me while I check the prices on Samsung Galaxy S II dual core phone...

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[Anonymous Coward]

Like it or not, it's news. The white iPhone 4 has been an ongoing problem for Apple, and it's been delayed and pushed back because of manufacturing and design problems pretty much since release. It's the phone equivalent of vaporware actually getting released.

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[hubie]

Yeah, but on this model you can turn the volume up to 11.

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[Pf0tzenpfritz]

YES! A white one! Isn't it e x c i t i n g ?

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[surveyork]

My old Nokia had interchangeable, fancy shells. How's that feel Jobs? Bwahahahahaha. Oh, and it still works, and doesn't get viruses. Bwahahahahaha.

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[Anonymous Coward]

So as you did in Black.

The fact is: Steve Jobs is way ahead the market. I see news about new phones coming out, AND more or less they ALL incorporate visions that Jobs had (the size, screen, way icons are displayed, hidden batteries, etc). That's the way he built this huge and strong culture of fans and followers that motivates any tech/news site to announce a "new plastic shell for a year old apple product".

AND, if things stays the same, Steve Jobs as a technological Howard Hughes, it won't be different before dozens of others Apple's baby steps are announced in the front page of many websites ( /. included )

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah but only if you hold it right.

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[Anonymous Coward]

Malibu Stacy got a new hat! And from Malibu Stacy's designers.

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[Anonymous Coward]

Nobody cares about what phone you will buy.

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[afex]

did you check the price yet? you'll find that it's also 199 w/ agreement.

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[DriedClexler]

I think it's important because the white iPhone is likely to perform very well, and not be plagued with all the problems black ones have been giving us, not have the high maintenance cost, not be used as a channel for criminality, etc.

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[Anonymous Coward]

^^ This. 2.3, gigabyte of ram and 1080p recording? Color me ecstatic

Re:Frontpage of /.?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd love to know why making a white iPhone has been a problem, until Apple tell us I'm inclined to believe it is just an elaborate marketing gimmick.

Wow

[dimethylxanthine]

Been waiting for 6 months to get one! Not really...
-------
Sent from my PDP-11

Re:Wow

[ChunderDownunder]

Meh. I'll wait for the Flower Power model.

Hold on one second...

[Computer_kid]

Yep... I still don't care. If you really wanted a white iPhone you could have used a bottle of spray paint or bought a white cover.

Re:Hold on one second...

[Anonymous Coward]

They used to charge $200 extra for the black MacBook... just because of the color... you should be thankful that this time it only costs like 9 month of wait time :)

Re:Hold on one second...

[CharlyFoxtrot]

They used to charge $200 extra for the black MacBook... just because of the color... you should be thankful that this time it only costs like 9 month of wait time :)

IIRC the black macbook also came with a bigger HD.

Drowning in Drool...

[Bananatree3]

We've become so accustom to drowning in our collective Apple drool we can't th ink straight!

Re:White

[Anonymous Coward]

"The Black iPhone is the original iPhone. From him came all brown, yellow, red, and white phones. By using a special method of chinese subcontractor control law, the Black iPhone was able to produce the white iPhone. This method of chinese subcontractor control was developed by a Black-turtlenecked scientist known as Jobs, who envisioned making and teaching a category of consumer devices who would be diametrically opposed to the original consumer devices. A color scheme of devices who would one day outsell the original devices and dominate the mindshare for a period of 6,000 years. Jobs promised his followers that he would create insanely great products for his own people, and he would teach them how to rule his people, through a system of cryptography and APIs whereby they use UI consistency to divide and conquer, and break the unity of the competing devices, put one android against another, and then act as mediators and rule both sides." -Elijah Muhammad

Re:White

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Maybe they can get Sony's advertising guys to do promotion for the new model...

Why?

[p0p0]

Why is this even a news story? I understand Apple products tend to get a lot of attention when being released, but come on. This is a colour alteration, not a brand new phone. We don't see every Android phone get an article, and those are at least different from each other. Is page views really all Slashdot cares about?

Re:Why?

[uncanny]

Because it's innovation, duh.

Re:Why?

[smelch]

Arg, you're missing the point! This article is just informing us that starting today white is the new sexy color for electronics, and black is out again. Before we go back to black we will take a brief detour through colorful electronics being sexy, but that phase never lasts long.

Re:Why?

[boristdog]

Beige will always be the color of electronics!!

Re:White

[Anonymous Coward]

How is "another product now in new colour" news?

You should've seen the original headline.

[Anonymous Coward]

You should've seen the original headline; "White iPhone 4 Coming all over black iPhone 4"

Seriously?

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple releases the same product in a new color... and it's headline news?

Re:White

[obergfellja]

now white supremesis and kkk members can buy iPhones without hating the phone or themselves.

There's a reason why this is considered important.

[Scholasticus]

This is news because a lot of people pay attention to every tiny little thing Apple does, and so they want to know about it. The objective importance of this is about the same as potato chips in a new flavor, or a new McSomething at McDonalds. That there's so much hype about those things because the companies involved market the hype. What's not news is that Apple is doing the same thing that every other company that sells products to consumers does, i.e. gets people to believe that unimportant things are important.

Deeper Meaning

[Heshler]

While it may seem to many that this is a complete and utter non-story, I think there are deeper racial issues that arise. See? Black iPhones are a metaphor for black people. White iPhones are a metaphor for white people. It's so obvious when you think about it. Perhaps this Apple product release signifies the splitting of a community along an arbitrary line, forcing people to chose sides, or worse, have their side chosen for them. We must thank Apple and Slashdot for bringing this issue to light, and make sure to discuss this until we can reach the true, fundamental meaning of the event.

hmm

[Anonymous Coward]

US$199 v/s $AU859 for the same phone when the exchange rate is 92 US cents to 1 aussie $. That makes sense apple.

Re:hmm

[filthpickle]

that is pretty odd....is the cost of the phone not subsidized across the length of the contract in Australia? The math still doesn't add up even if that is the case.

For the love of god

[Anonymous Coward]

WHO THE FUCK CARES!

Seriously, and I'd be saying the same if any company had released a new bloody colour of their product with huge, bizarre, fanfare.

Re:For the love of god

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

WHO THE FUCK CARES!

Everybody who enjoys watching Apple fuck up.

Re:White

[CharlyFoxtrot]

It's news because it took so damn long. Apple has been having a lot of problems getting the white version out there. Apparently there were some problems with the sensors due to the white shell letting through more light or something. In any case it's rare for Apple to have an actual production problem (one that's not made up out of whole cloth by "analysts") for this long . Hence, news.

It's got a smaller, err, antenna

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, that's it.

Re:White

[Anonymous Coward]

so the iphone is paler and the ipad is thinner - sounds like these apple products are taking after their creator steve jobs!

what next...? we can only hope the new macbook pros are brought to customers in coffin shaped cases (sustainably-sourced wood.)

model T

[scharkalvin]

You can have it in any color, so long as it is black.

How about "goat vomit" green?

Re:model T

[Anonymous Coward]

You can have it in any color, so long as it is black.

The reason for that is that Ford found that black paint dried the fastest.

So with black paint, the assembly line could run just a bit faster (and cheaper).

Re:model T

[Anonymous Coward]

How about "goat vomit" green?

That would be "ipod nano 4th generation" green. Thankfully they changed that shade in later generations.

...but it is *white*!

[Pf0tzenpfritz]

and there has not been a WHITE IPHONE before!! OMG! What will be next ...blue? Red?

It says a lot about their target audience

[MikeRT]

That they'd pay full price for a phone that is about to be upgraded just because it comes in a color they like.

Think about that. The color of the phone is so important that they will pay full retail, plus a two year contract, for a phone that is about to be "obsolete" just because it's white instead of black.

Re:It says a lot about their target audience

[Missing.Matter]

And in the end they'll put it in a case to avoid marring its perfect form.

Re:It says a lot about their target audience

[Kozz]

That they'd pay full price for a phone that is about to be upgraded just because it comes in a color they like.

Think about that. The color of the phone is so important that they will pay full retail, plus a two year contract, for a phone that is about to be "obsolete" just because it's white instead of black.

I'd imagine people would buy a white iphone for the same reason they would buy a BMW: it tells everyone around them they've got [more] money [than sense], and want you to know it.

Re:It says a lot about their target audience

[Anonymous Coward]

But Steve finally gave us a white one. If we didn't need a white one, Steve would not have given it to us. I just bought a new iPhone 3 months ago on Verizon, but obviously I must get the white one now or Steve might be upset with me. I am on my way to the AT&T store to get a white one with a contract with AT&T so that way I can have my white one and eat it to.

Steve will be happy with me, I feel good about myself and my existence now.

Re:It says a lot about their target audience

[afex]

when i used to have an iphone (3g) i bought a bunch of those crappy hard shell cases that look EXACTLY like the back of the phone (even has the logo, says 'apple of california', all that text, etc) you can get from china for like $0.60/pop.

one of them was the really awesome vibrant blue color. No joke, people would ask me all the time where i got the awesome blue iphone from, and where they can get one. i would explain about the case, ebay, etc, and they were saddened. i never got it - it LOOKS exactly like what you wanted, and now you're sad because you CAN'T spend a ton of money to get it, instead spending less than a buck? yeesh.

Re:It says a lot about their target audience

[Beyond_GoodandEvil]

I'd imagine people would buy a white iphone for the same reason they would buy a BMW: it tells everyone around them they've got [more] money [than sense], and want you to know it.
Sorry, all those people now buy Audis instead.

Re:It says a lot about their target audience

[Anonymous Coward]

These are the same fanbois who accepted the "You are holding it wrong" from Mr. Steve "64K is enough" Jobs for when the last iPhone did not work properly because it was released after inadequate testing. Why are you surprised?

Will I be modded insightful or a troll...

[Pollux]

...when I say, "Why should anybody care?"

It's white. End of story. Move on people.

Amazing

[Posting=!Working]

It's incredible that in only one year that technology has advanced so far that they're able to now produce these with plastic of a different color. Some futurists claim that in another 5 years, we might posses the technology to produce iPhone 4's in any color, but I'm think that's far too optimistic.

This story is the opposite of "news for nerds, stuff that matters."

Re:Amazing

[LoganDzwon]

nono, your misinformed! They now paint the glass with a different color paint!

Re:Amazing

[Posting=!Working]

Woah! That means that if they dedicate their entire company to R & D, they could possibly have the technology to make any color iPhone within 5 years! I stand corrected!

Re:Amazing

[Anonymous Coward]

.... in another 5 years, we might posses the technology to produce iPhone 4's in any color, but I'm think that's far too optimistic....

Actually, I hear the next version will have electrolytes...afterall, that's what phones crave.

I suppose

[Anonymous Coward]

If its OK for Apple Records to produce The White Album then its OK for Apple computer to make a white iPhone

Re:White

[EraserMouseMan]

Yea, really rare. Apple just doesn't make mistakes. That's why we just buy anything with an Apple on it and ask no questions. It's even a bonus when the antenna doesn't work and our calls drop. We're so blessed that Apple bestows these quiet peaceful moments of silence upon us as random acts of kindness from Cupertino. I just wish Apple made everything. The world would be a perfect place.

Cool

[Zorque]

Another Apple product I can add to my list of stuff I'm not buying.

Attention, BNL shoppers!

[Anonymous Coward]

Try blue! It's the new red!

White cover for black iPhOnE $7

[squash_me_quickly]

The the world of technology really become so utterly uninteresting so that replacing black pigment with white pigment in a phone cover is news. What next.... "Microsoft changes the standard background for Windows 7 in service pack 1" Hopefully the next big news will be "Pigment in white iPhOnE covers disrupts radio signals, Apple must replace all the new cover with black ones." (ha ha)

Re:White cover for black iPhOnE $7

[Bing Tsher E]

No, not 'the world of technology.'

Explicitly: apple.slashdot.org has become that utterly uninteresting. Remember, this isn't the real slashdot. This is the fanboi domain.

Not only /.

[surveyork]

It's not only /. - It's all over the media, specialized, general, yellow... I don't know if they really think this is newsworthy or Apple has so much influence to create journa-vertisements all over the place, or perhaps both.

Irrelevant

[Anonymous Coward]

How is the color of a cellphone even slightly relevant to the /. public?

Here's another color; fecal brown

Re:Irrelevant

[psergiu]

That color is copyrighted by Microsoft for their devices.

It's nice and all but the big question is...

[surveyork]

Does it run Linux?

But...

[surveyork]

But... but... It's an Apple product! And everybody's been waiting for so long! And it's white! White! So revolutionary simple only Jobs could have thought about it! A white iPhone... Brilliant! Oh, and you can make phone calls! And receive them too! Just amazing! A new paradigm: white, makes calls, receives calls, you can go to iTunes... ZOMG! I'm so happy to be alive to see this day!!!
----
Disclaimer: The iPhone is nice. Expensive, but nice. All this fuss about a white frigging phone is pathetic. Yes, I said it. I'm talking about the circus, not about the qualities of the phone. Probably humankind deserves all the hardships nature will throw at us for being stupid, but I digress... It's white! Hallelujah!

Also a good distraction

[Comboman]

It's also a good distraction from the iPhone location tracking scandal.

Why

[Archimagus]

Why is this a big deal?

How much $$ is slashdot being paid...

[cpotoso]

For fanboy advertising for apple? What is the technological/scientific/hacker/... importance of a WHITE iphone? It is the same f... device that's been available for months, just white. Why does this deserve /. coverage? This is f* insane.

Title should probably read:

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple fanboys coming today...
Oh god, it's WHIIITE!! Must buy NOW!

iPhone 5?

[Anonymous Coward]

Weren't there rumors that they bring out the iPhone 5 in September. I would not want to sell somebody a new white iPhone 4 only to dissappoint those customers in some months by bringing out a new model (probably also in white). Does this mean that the iPhone 5 will not appear so soon?

Re:iPhone 5?

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless they've been living under a rock, why would it disappoint them? They likely know the rumours about a new model in September, their choices are a) buy a white iPhone now and skip the iPhone 5, b) skip the white iPhone and buy a 5, c) buy both, d) buy neither. So long as they're informed where's the issue? If they can't handle the fact that there are more than one products on the market they want, or they can't have everything they want then they really need to do some growing up. It would be far worse if the white was announced with no mention of the 5 and then that phone was suddenly released three months later, but everyone must have heard the rumours and can make a decision on that basis now.

Goodbye Slashdot...

[Anonymous Coward]

After more than 7 years reading slashdot on a regular basis, today I am removing it from my daily feeds. Is it because of the stories, you might ask? No, it's the people who comment. The comments in this thread alone perfectly sum up the majority of the comments on all other Apple related stories. You guys just don't get it and you will complain about ANYTHING (everything?).

fact: All US cell phones are marketed and sold the same way as an iPhone. Why are you griping about it? Sure, it may be stupid and crazy, but Apple didn't invent this method. In fact, in other markets, the iPhone is sold in the ways of the land... weird.
fact: Australia has always been screwed by the conversion rate of Apple products. Search any thread for the past 10 years on new Apple products and you will see people in Australia screaming bloody murder. I guess you can blame Apple, but this is not new and it's not news.
fact: The iPhone 4 is made of glass and steel, not plastic. The white parts are glass.
fact: This is a story precisely because it took 10 months to make something that was a black model into a white model. Something that seemed so trivial wasn't, in fact, so easy to do. This is not news because all the fanbois will buy anything and Apple just made something old white and now people that buy it are stupid. This is a story because of the Engineering obstacles that had to be worked out to make something that worked.

I think it's clear that for the most of you, Apple products are not for you. My question now is why do you spend your time reading and commenting on something that despises you so much?

obligatory

[torgis]

What it's like to own an Apple product: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apple

Haven't drunk the iKoolaid

[defaria]

What's with you iFanboys?!? First the ad that says you can talk on your iPhone and browse the web at the same time - Whippie! I have been doing that on my Android phone since day 1 and even on a Windows Mobile phone before that! Now you drool as an iPhone comes out in a different color! Oooooowwweee the iNatives coo at the color change...

What if the original phone had been white?

[cvtan]

Then we would all be standing on lines waiting for the black iPhone or maybe the titanium one! On the other hand, maybe the new phone is RETINA white or APPliance white or DRM white... I need a Valium.

The most amazing thing about white iPhone

[Sloppy]

The most amazing thing about the white iPhone is that it's news.

Over-hyped stories aren't a new phenomenon, but this one surely has to have set some coverage-to-banality world records, in a way that even Justin Bieber's talent agent wouldn't be able to remotely imagine while getting loaded up on MDMA and writing a marketing-fantasy-novel.

samzenpus, I don't know who you are. For all I know, you're the name of a script that compares keywords in article submissions to Twitter trends. But on the off chance that you're a human, maybe you could tell us why you thought the color of some plastic (not even an article about a technically-challenging(?) manufacturing process, but just the fact that it's for sale) was post-worthy. Really, this isn't rhetorical: why did you post it instead of laughing it off?

I'm not putting down the white iPhone. I can understand why some people might want it; but what's interesting about it?

Re:The most amazing thing about white iPhone

[jo_ham]

It's interesting because it was announced at the launch of the iPhone 4 and then delayed due to technical problems with the white glass and Apple took an *enormous* amount of flak for it.

If they hadn't mentioned it as a colour option at the launch and merely worked on it quietly and released it when it was ready this wouldn't be news. They can't really win - there were several trolls moaning about 'still no white iphone, lolz' and now that it is ready and announced they can swap instantly to "how is this news! slashdot is being paid by apple and is nothing but an iFanboi!' (conveniently ignoring the past two weeks' worth of apple-bashing troll articles about the 'tracking' issue).

Blizzard learned this lesson well in the past, which is why it is very careful about what it "promises" in publicly visible comments, and the reason their PR disclaimer very carefully defines what specific words mean.

Re:The most amazing thing about white iPhone

[biglig2]

I'd say it's also pretty interesting on a engineering level how hard they found it to do.

WTF

[Anonymous Coward]

Who The Fuck Cares!

One question still persists...

[Anonymous Coward]

Will it blend...no I mean...will it's antenna work?

Sept. 2010 called, it wants its white phone back

[BulletMagnet]

If I were one of Jobsie's little crack-whores, why on Earth would last year's phone if Apple's set to release the iPhone 5 in 5-7 months? Just because they now finally figured out how to make a white shell....might as well save that for the next one Stevie, you missed it with this generation of phones....or maybe the white one doesn't need to be held this way.....or maybe it comes with a HumanCentiPad2....

Re:White

[Bing Tsher E]

Can we just throw the fucking thing into Mount Doom, now, please?

Why?

[englishknnigits]

Why is this news? It's just a product coming in a new color. Just because Apple hasn't been able to tackle the technology to easily change the colors of their products yet doesn't mean this is news.

Blueberry and Cherry

[perpenso]

What will be next ...blue? Red?

That would be bondi or blueberry, and cherry. :-)

Its glass not plastic

[perpenso]

That sums it up nicely. A phone gets a new plastic shell.

I think its glass not plastic. If it were simply plastic there would not have been such a delay.

Re:Its glass not plastic

[thegarbz]

Your first sentence is true. Your second sentence is the funniest thing I've heard all week.

US$75 extra for black MacBook

[perpenso]

They used to charge $200 extra for the black MacBook... just because of the color... you should be thankful that this time it only costs like 9 month of wait time :)

IIRC the black macbook also came with a bigger HD.

Something else was upgraded too but I don't recall what. When you upgraded the components in the default white configuration to match the default black configuration the price difference was US$75.

get a grip people - It's just a phone!

[bl8n8r]

The upgrade frenzy caused by Apple is really, really concerning. Just the labor practice alone[1][2] is appalling enough, not to mention the the amount of energy[3] it takes to produce a new device every 6 months. Can't people live with the same gadget for at least a couple/few years without going ape every time something new comes out?

[1] - http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/02/27/apple-child-labor-china-history-sketchy-manufacturing/
[2] - http://www.zdnet.com/blog/government/apple-may-be-poisoning-chinese-workers-and-doesnt-seem-to-care-should-we/9908
[3] - http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1119.html

Re:White

[crossword.bob]

Oh good grief, are there still people who believe in that antenna myth? Go check ChangeWave's recent report: the one that says iPhone 4 call dropping is 0.2% above the average for all phones on AT&T's network. Similar story on Verizon.

Or just use your brain and ask yourself how plausible is the idea that industry leading customer satisfaction figures would carry on regardless if the phone didn't work?

Sheesh, if Occam hung around here he'd have a luxuriant beard by now.

A different color paint ...

[perpenso]

nono, your misinformed! They now paint the glass with a different color paint!

Apparently Apple originally thought it was as simple as you seem to believe, that is why they originally thought the black and white versions would be available at the same time. Strangely, material science is not that simple and ambient light and UV penetrated the paint sufficiently to interfere with the camera and other components. It seems it took a while to find a proper non-toxic formulation of paint and to test it. Imagine that.

Re:A different color paint ...

[thegarbz]

The only thing strange is that people bought this bullshit of an excuse given that the iPhone 4's camera comes in a fully self contained unit and couldn't give a shit what colour the glass it painted.

Apple's marketing department spurts just as much bullshit as any other, imagine that!

Re:A different color paint ...

[perpenso]

The only thing strange is that people bought this bullshit of an excuse given that the iPhone 4's camera comes in a fully self contained unit and couldn't give a shit what colour the glass it painted.

I'm sure that's what the Apple engineers thought too when they were designing things. Hence the plan to release both colored versions at the same time. However once they got actual samples in their hands, surprise. Feel free to get back to us after you scrape the paint off an iPhone's glass and try one for yourself. I'm open to the notion that the problem was something else but your speculation is merely that and does really disprove Apple's official explanation. That the camera is in a fully contained unit seems irrelevant. The lens still seems to be sitting against the interior side of the glass. Ever pick up a plastic clip board and notice how the edges seem to glow from the internally reflected light? Similar stuff could be happening on the glass the lens is looking through.

Re:White

[Wovel]

You left out that it was the #1 selling handset in the world for 2010. I imagine you will be surprised to learn it also had the highest customer satisfaction rating...

Maybe all that other stuff was a tad overblown?

Use the firehose, dammit!

[npsimons]

Is this what /. has come to? A story about a different color being available for an Apple product?

You can do what I was doing: put "apple" in the terms to exclude under your user options. I wasn't even aware of this nonstory until someone mentioned it in another article.

Another thing you can do is upvote truly interesting articles like the following:

• Historic Jazz Recordings Mired in Copyright
• Semengate Strikes the American College of Surgeons
• Stockholding Nuns Petition for Net Neutrality
• Virus Used to Boost Nano-Solar Cell Efficiency
• Google's "Hackerspace"
• Supreme Court Sides with Corps on Class Action Lawsuits
• New Heat Pump Will Last 10,000 Years

Chris Rock

[ThatsNotPudding]

"Oh, why's it gotta be White?"

Damned if they do, damned if they don't

[unassimilatible]

So now you're criticizing Apple for waiting to make sure that its predict is up to standards.

It's interesting that a company with the highest customer satisfaction ratings has so many critics. It's almost as if the people complaining the loudest are not Apple customers, but, on the contrary, the last people who would ever buy Apple products based on some sort of dogma.

Re:Damned if they do, damned if they don't

[Algae_94]

I don't think he's criticizing them. I think it was a sarcastic comment on all the hyperbole surrounding Apple products.

Seriously?

[roc97007]

This is actually a news item??

Is this news for nerds?

[danielberm]

Please don't post this stupid stuff. I see it everywhere else, you'd think it was a news story or something that Apple created a different colored product.

Re:White

[Anonymous Coward]

does anyone actually fucking care that the white iPhone 4 is coming? I mean, really. Fucking iFags.

News worthy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Really? A different color of the iPhone is worth a news post?

Re:White

[darthdavid]

You do realize that the problem happens when you hold in in a specific way right? I don't know about you but I generally keep the same grip on my phone for the entirety of a conversation. So looking at dropped calls isn't really helpful here because if you're holding it so you get the signal loss you probably won't connect in the first place and if you're holding it so you don't get the signal loss you won't have any problems...