The long-delayed handset gives iPhone buyers some variety, but it's hard to imagine that it will be a major factor for people trying to decide between Apple and Android. Its late arrival is probably as much about Apple saving face by fulfilling its promise to deliver the device than any hope for a transformative market impact from the phone.
With a later-than-expected rollout of the iPhone 5 rumored for fall, the white iPhone may be a way to appease the Apple faithful in the interim, although people with a black iPhone 4 are unlikely to buy a white one, especially with the next-gen device months away.
Apple's white iPhone 4 was originally expected ten months earlier, but a series of problems -- camera issues, light sensor problems, peeling paint -- delayed it. Various rumors about the phone's release date have sparked and extinguished in the last months; Apple itself has pushed back the release date several times from July 2010 to Spring 2011.
The 16- and 32-gigabyte white iPhone 4s are essentially clones of their black forerunner, color being the only difference. Apple's penchant for the color white helped the company differentiate itself from other, black and silver device-makers when it introduced the white iPod and matching earbuds in 2001.
The iPhone 5 is rumored to feature an 8-megapixel camera, a faster dual-core processor, facial recognition, and extended battery life among other improvements. It's also reportedly both CDMA and GSM-capable, meaning that Verizon and AT&T's would carry the exact same handset.
No comments:
Post a Comment