Apple's Schiller explains white iPhone 4 delay

Apple Senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller in an interview on Wednesday partly explained the reasons behind the 10-month delay for the launch of the white iPhone 4. Confirming many of the earlier suspicions, he explained that there were issues with how the white material's performance "holds up over time," including its resistance to UV rays from direct sunlight. He explained to AllThingsD that there were more immediate issues with sensors that also prevent a straight-ahead color swap.

Original promises of a white version no later than July were the result of assumptions about the quality. "We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren’t," Schiller said.

The executive didn't touch on rumors that the problem had been solved by a newer Japanese technique that solved issues with consistency and longevity. Sensor changes were easy to confirm for most since Apple has conspicuously changed the proximity sensor from the obvious grill shown last June to a cut-out.

Regardless of results, the trouble getting the white color has already been paying dividends for other Apple devices. Apple chief Steve Jobs in a related interview the same day added that the white option for the iPad 2 was the direct result of work done to solve the white iPhone 4's problem. "We obviously think about this in a generic way," he said.

By Electronista Staff

Post tools:

TAGS :  

iPhone, industry, mobile phones, Apple