White iPhone 4 secretly Verizon iPhone theories reignited by new delay

Apple has once again delayed the white iPhone 4, again citing manufacturing challenges, but what Apple has not said is what those challenges are or even whether they even apply to the white outer surface of the device. While most unconfirmed third party reports have suggested that the white glass material is the culprit, today’s new delay has reignited an old theory: perhaps the white iPhone 4 has been a manufacturing “challenge” because it’s a different hardware product altogether, namely the long-rumored “hybrid” model which would include compatibility for both the AT&T and Verizon networks. Apple never made it clear why it switched to an external antenna model with the iPhone 4; reception on the iPhone 4 is stronger than that of any previous iPhone model, which would be reason enough to justify the change, there could be more than meets the eye. The various hackers who’ve taken apart the black iPhone 4 would have spotted a Verizon-compatible antenna if indeed there were one in there, but that doesn’t mean that the white model couldn’t have antenna functionality built in for both carriers. This would require squeezing more hardware into the same physical package, which would explain the “manufacturing challenges” that Apple keeps vaguely referring to.

Why Apple would go this route is another matter. Plenty of Verizon customers have said that they want an iPhone but won’t buy one until it comes to Verizon, so a Verizon-compatible iPhone makes sense for apple. And Apple was under pressure to get a new iPhone model to market in summer 2010, which means that it would make sense to release one model in June for existing AT&T customers – and then later on, once it was ready, a hybrid model that Verizon users could sink their teeth into. But for Apple to take this route in secret would be problematic on several fronts: existing iPhone users who have already upgraded to a black iPhone 4 have locked themselves into AT&T until mid 2012, so springing a Verizon iPhone on them so soon would leave many of them feeling burned even if they didn’t have any plans to switch to a Verizon iPhone. On the other hand, announcing that “a Verizon iPhone is coming soon” at the same time the company launched the AT&T-only iPhone 4 could have put a damper on sales.

Another theory suggests that the white iPhone 4 could be only compatible with Verizon, which would have the advantage of minimizing customer confusion as to which model to buy (are users really that stupid that they need their phones color-coded by carrier?), but would serve to antagonize those current iPhone users on AT&T who want a white iPhone and aren’t going to change carriers just to get it.

For now it’s probably best not to read too much into the tea leaves; the most likely interpretation of Apple’s brief statement is that the white iPhone 4 delay is related to the fact that it’s white, and not because it secretly has a different hardware makeup and different carrier compatibility. But with Apple’s continued insistence on barely even admitting the white iPhone 4 was ever on the table to begin with, questions are going to continue to be asked.