Filed under: iPhone

Well, that's interesting -- Apple has just posted an official statement on its site that says the white iPhone 4s have been "more challenging to manufacture than expected," and therefore won't be available until late July. No further statement is given, but it looks like if you were waiting until you get a white version of the new iPhone, you'll have to wait a little longer. That also explains why you couldn't preorder that color -- they weren't actually made yet.

As for what the challenge may be, we have no idea. Is it tough to make perfectly white material for that back panel? It could just be, of course, that Apple had some unforeseeable problem on a certain production line, leaving the white models in the lurch.

At any rate, Apple says that the "more popular" black models are good to go, so those will be ready in the stores tomorrow. But of course if Apple has only half of the models in stock, that too could affect availability. We'll have to see how things go tomorrow morning.

[hat tip to MacRumors]

White iPhones "more challenging" says Apple, unavailable until mid-July originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

White iPhones "more challenging" says Apple, unavailable until mid-July originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CNET is reporting that Apple is planning to unveil their iTunes music streaming service at least by the third quarter of this year. After Apple acquired Lala back in December, it was rumored that the company was entertaining the idea of a streaming music service that would allow users to back-up and access their music library from any device with internet connectivity.

“Music industry sources told CNET this week Apple has informed label managers that a streaming music service is unlikely to be ready before the third quarter. It will be a disappointment for iTunes fans who have been speculating as to when Apple might use music site Lala–which Apple acquired in December–for its streaming expertise to launch a cloud-based music service.”

This is definitely disappointing to hear and if you are looking for even more bad news CNET is also reporting that Apple “hasn’t done much” with video content for iPad either with the exception of sending iPads to certain movie executives. But we’re not greedy, we’d be happy with Hulu and Netflix streaming…

[Via CNET]

Apple iTunes Music streaming service unlikely to launch prior to 3rd Quarter 2010 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iPhone

iResQ, the iPhone/iPod repair site, has posted pics of what they claim is the front faceplate of the next-gen iPhone. Two things about this piece of hardware are particularly interesting. First, the part is approximately 1/4 of an inch taller than the iPhone 3GS, indicative of a slightly taller form factor for the next-gen iPhone. Second, there's a small, reflective strip directly above the hole for the phone speaker. iResQ believes this is likely to be the new location for the iPhone's proximity sensor rather than an indication of any new hardware; however, moving the proximity sensor to a new location and increasing the overall length of the device could still point to a front-facing camera or other new hardware on the next-gen iPhone.

It's worth mentioning the possibility that these "iPhone" parts aren't legitimate. iResQ hasn't revealed its source for the part, and purported iPhone bezels leaked in 2009 turned out to be parts for a completely different device. The backside of the supposed next-gen iPhone's face is missing quite a few parts present on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which either means the part iResQ received was incomplete, the next-gen iPhone has had its internal hardware shifted around, or the part is fake.

So case manufacturers, don't throw out your old blueprints just yet. Unfortunately, it's likely we won't find out whether these are legit or not until June/July of this year; despite rumors of an iPhone update in April, the most likely date for the next-gen iPhone's release is early summer.

[Via MacRumors]

Purported pics of next-gen iPhone front face surface originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Purported pics of next-gen iPhone front face surface originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, Software, Odds and ends, iPhone

Bloomberg is the latest outlet to come up with some rumors about the possible new iPhone model coming this year (the iPhone, not the tablet, although doesn't it seem like the flood of tablet rumors has encouraged all kinds of Apple speculation lately?). They say that the new handset will include a 5 megapixel camera to match Google's Nexus One, and will also include a touch-sensitive casing, working similarly to the Magic Mouse. That one just seems strange -- what would you gesture on the back of the iPhone while you're using it?

They also say, quoting Goldman Sachs analyst Robert Chen, that there'll be plenty of new innovations in the software as well. We certainly hope so. According to this round of rumors, the new phone would go into production in April, and be released to stores in June or July, a timeline that actually matches up with what we've heard before.

Rumors are a dime a dozen, and even if a new phone does come out in July, that's too long to wait if you need to buy a phone right now. But we'll keep our ears open -- there certainly is a lot of increased speculation about Apple hardware lately, and there ought to be something in the pipeline driving it all.

Bloomberg: New iPhone with touch-sensitive casing coming originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bloomberg: New iPhone with touch-sensitive casing coming originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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