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iTableous is a white iPhone 4 fit for a giant (video)
If you like flying unicorns, you probably love giant flying unicorns, right? Well, the white iPhone 4 has officially gone from myth to reality, but it seems some folks are still chasing the dream in a BIG way. Case in point: iTableous, an outsized tabletop bearing a striking resemblance to the long-awaited iOS handset. Unlike previous iPhone tables we've seen, this one doesn't support multi-touch -- a wireless keyboard and mouse hold the keys to navigating this behemoth -- but it does offer 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 500GB of internal storage, a 5.7 megapixel camera, 720p video recording, as well USB, HDMI and a good old 30-pin connector for hooking up the real-deal. What's more, this iPhone's a dual-booter, capable of running Mac OSX 10.6.7 (via Hackintosh) and Windows 7 Professional. If you're living at the tip of a beanstalk and need to shake that tired old 3GS, check out the video of iTableous in action after the break.
Fei Lam of WhiteiPhone4Now reveals how Apple found him
Earlier today we told you how Apple's legal team finally caught up with Fei Lam, the teenager from New York who was selling white iPhone 4 conversion kits, and filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against him. Now new information about the whole ordeal has emerged including how exactly Apple found him. In an interview with Fast Company, Lam says that he first found out about the lawsuit when he received an email from Fast Company. Lam also says that, contrary to reports, he did not make US$130,000 for the sales of white iPhone parts. He is apparently meeting with Apple's lawyers within the next month to discuss the lawsuit and any legal repercussions, however Lam will not be represented by a lawyer as he doesn't have the funds to cover one. An earlier report by Fast Company also noted that Apple only tracked Lam down after hiring a private investigator that worked for an anti-counterfeit and trademark protection firm. Looks like when it comes to Apple, you can't remain on the lam forever*. *I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the worst pun ever.
Apple files trademark infringement against WhiteiPhone4Now website
Apple's legal team finally caught up with Fei Lam, the teenager from New York who was selling white iPhone 4 conversion kits, and filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against him. Lam claimed to be getting white iPhone 4 parts directly from Foxconn and was reselling them on his website, whiteiphone4now.com, for US$279. He supposedly raked in over $130,000 from his endeavor until a "private investigator", thought to be hired by Apple, accused him of selling stolen goods. The trademark lawsuit was filed and voluntarily dismissed in one motion suggesting Apple and Lam reached some type of settlement. Lam is likely out of business as the wording of the dismissal leaves the door open for Apple to refile the claim in the future.
White iPhone 4 thickness creates issue for case makers, owners
By now you've probably seen the latest spectacle to consume the white iPhone 4: it's thicker than the black model. The image above illustrates the point using a piece of lead from a mechanical pencil. So what, you say, in righteous indignation to a device that shipped ten months late. Well, the size difference creates a potential consumer issue since cases (at least the good ones) are manufactured against the tight tolerances supplied by Apple. We've confirmed ourselves, that an Incase slider that fits a black iPhone 4 just fine has to be forced into place on the new white model. Unfortunately, Apple's own spec page doesn't highlight the change in thickness (measured at 9.5mm by TiPb). Instead it still shows a 9.3mm depth with a tiny disclaimer stating, "Actual size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process." The result is confusion -- will this case fit or won't it? -- which is never a good thing for consumers. But why is the white iPhone 4 thicker? Phil Schiller mentioned that Apple needed to add extra UV protection among other tweaks, in an attempt to reduce the "unexpected interactions" between the white cover and the internal components. As such, Apple apparently needed to sacrifice some slimness for a better functioning white phone. In the end, we have what looks to be four different size / button configurations that must be considered when purchasing a shrink-wrapped case for your white iPhone 4, black iPhone 4, white Verizon iPhone 4, or black Verizon iPhone 4. Good luck with that. Additional reporting by Sam Sheffer [Thanks, Jon]
White iPhone 4 produces long lines in Beijing
The white Apple iPhone 4 made its retail debut today, and China is one market where demand is high for the long-awaited device. According to a report from Computerworld, hundreds of customers lined up outside the Apple Store in Beijing to buy the long-delayed white model. Customers in line confirmed they passed on the black model, which launched in September 2010, and waited for the white one to make its debut. "I don't like the black color," said line-waiter Annie Zhang. "I've always been waiting for the white-colored iPhone 4." Apple's presence in China is growing at an extraordinary rate. Apple's iPhone models account for 8.3 percent of China's smartphone market share, and sales of the iPhone in Q1 2011 grew by 250 percent year over year. The introduction of the white iPhone 4 will boost sales even higher in China, as white devices are popular there; the color white is often associated with purity and fulfillment in Chinese culture (also with funerals and mourning, but that's probably not what Apple is going for).
White iPhone 4 hands-on (again)
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet...%Gallery-122467%
White iPhone 4 now available for sale internationally
The elusive white iPhone 4 is elusive no more. It's already gone on sale internationally; this included screenshot is from Vodafone in New Zealand. The white iPhone 4 is expected to see release in several international markets over the course of the day, with release in the US likely to come within the next few hours. The white iPhone 4 still hasn't shown up on Apple's own store site yet as of this writing, not even in countries where the handset has already been available from carriers' stores for several hours, but it should be available at the company's US brick-and-mortar stores when they open later today. If you've been waiting this long for the white iPhone 4 to come out, the good news is your wait is now over. The bad news? The iPhone 5 is probably coming out sometime in the next six months, so if you're the kind of person who has to have the latest and greatest gear, your wait might not be over after all.
White iPhone 4 releases tomorrow, finally (update: Phil Schiller explains the delay)
The rare albino iPhone 4 has been spotted numerous times in the wild, skulking through the trees in the magical United Kingdom, cavorting across the mysterious lands of Vietnam, and most recently standing in formation in Belgium. Now it's coming somewhere rather less exotic: the Apple Store. Apple has finally announced it will release the white iPhone 4 tomorrow around the world. Here in the US it'll come in both AT&T and Verizon flavors, warming the hearts and minds of those who like a little less pigment on their handsets. Other than a proximity sensor tweak nothing else has changed on the device, and so the pricing remains the same: $199 on contract for the 16GB model, $299 for 32GB. Sadly, though, your contract also remains the same, and we're pretty sure really wanting a new phone to match your earbuds isn't grounds for avoiding an ETF. Update: All Things D's Ina Fried had the pleasure to sit down with Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller to learn the reason behind the white iPhone 4's delay. According to Schiller, it wasn't as simple as getting the right whiteness like we reported previously -- turns out this is more to do with adding extra UV protection to keep the internal components behaving normally. Looking on the bright side, Jobs implied that this lesson allowed them to bring out the white iPad 2. Separately, some time ago our sources added that the white iPhone 4's spring launch window was set in stone back in September (and consequently announced in October), as Apple foresaw the need to delay the iPhone 5 to free up resources for the OS X Lion team and the new maps team ahead of WWDC in June. All will be revealed in good time.
White iPhone 4 coming to Best Buy on Wednesday?
That, friends, is an inventory listing from Best Buy indicating the mythical white iPhone 4 will finally be in stock and for sale this Wednesday, April 27th (just in time to be overshadowed by rumors of the iPhone 5). Of course, we've seen it pop up in inventory systems before, including Best Buy's, only to be let down when the alleged street date came and went without so much as a glossy-white glimmer of hope. But, we've heard straight from Apple's Phil Schiller that it would ship in the spring, and with one already finding its way into the hands of a lucky Londoner a Wednesday release for the paler-than-black iPhone is looking plausible. Still, we're not quite ready to call this one confirmed. [Thanks, Anonymous]
Exclusive: White iPhone 4 lands at Vodafone UK
Well, would you have a gander at that? That, friends, is Apple's long-awaited, hardly-forgotten white iPhone 4, and so far as we can tell, this is actually the real deal. We've seen retailers making space for the elusive handset over the past few months, and earlier today, we heard that Vodafone UK's inventory systems were showing the white iPhone 4 as shipping in. Now, we've secured a few images of a 16GB model from a separate source that has seemingly made its way into the hands of one lucky customer (read: bloke) over in Britain. As the story goes, the salesperson rang it up as a black iPhone to help facilitate the transaction, and shortly after the sale went down, Voda sent out a notice to halt sale of these gems "until next week." Just so you know, the MC604B/A model number shown here is particularly interesting when compared to our own in-house UK iPhone 4; the latter, which is also a 16GB edition, sports a model number of MC603B/A. We suspect we aren't going too far out on a limb by suggesting that the "3" and "4" are there to represent hue variations, and if you'd like to stretch the theory one step further, MC605B/A represents the 32GB black iPhone 4. In other words, don't be shocked when the white 32 gigger rolls in as MC606B/A. So, is this the first legitimate sign that a white iPhone 4 is but days away from going on sale? We're hardly experts in meteorology, but it sure felt like spring in Londontown today. P.S. - 9 to 5 Mac suggests that it'll be landing on April 27th, at least in the Netherlands. [Thanks, Anonymii] %Gallery-122103%
Bloomberg: White iPhone 4 to arrive by the end of April
For those of you waiting for the white iPhone 4 ever since Apple announced it almost ten months ago, your wait may soon be coming to an end. Bloomberg is citing "three people familiar with the plans" who say the white iPhone 4 will begin shipping in the next few weeks. The white iPhone will be available from both AT&T and Verizon. The white iPhone was delayed a number of times because Apple was reportedly not happy with the quality of the paint. Apple even went so far as to go back to the drawing board and partner with a Japanese manufacturer to create a new type of paint that allowed for greater control of the thickness of it when applied to a material. Bloomberg's sources echo what Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller said earlier this year -- that the white iPhone 4 was still coming, and it would be released sometime in the spring. Upon launch, it is assumed that the white iPhone 4 will ship in 16 GB and 32 GB versions like the black iPhone 4.
White iPhone reportedly disappears from Apple inventory database
Overnight, Apple put up the yellow sticky note announcing its online store was down. Apple flipped the switch back on earlier this morning and visible changes to the store were minimal. Behind the scenes, though, a tipster to 9to5 Mac claimed Apple removed the white iPhone 4 from its retail database. This has led some to question whether the white iPhone 4 will launch as expected this spring. This report was corroborated by the Italian blog Apple Rumors when it posted up screenshots that reveal the removal of images of the white iPhone 4 from Apple's Italian website. Yesterday, Apple's website advertised its bumper cases on a white iPhone 4 model, while today the bumper-cased iPhones are now all black models. You can't read too much into this as the images may be an arbitrary switch, and the removal of the iPhone 4 from Apple's database may be in preparation for a launch, not the death knell of the elusive handset. We will have to wait patiently to see if Apple comes through with the white iPhone 4 in the next month or so.
Phil Schiller says white iPhone coming this spring
Increasingly it seems that when you have a question about an Apple product, you should bypass the support forums and go directly to Apple's top brass. When asked about the white iPhone 4 on Twitter, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, Phil Schiller, responded with an enthusiastic "The white iPhone will be available this spring (and it is a beauty!)." This report confirms earlier rumors that point to an imminent launch of the elusive white handset. Renewed interest in the white iPhone 4 most likely stems from the release of the white iPad 2. Customers have been waiting for the white handset since June 2010 when the latest generation Apple smartphone was announced at WWDC by Steve Jobs. Much to the chagrin of customers, Apple has twice announced the handset was delayed due to an unidentified production issue. Rumored reports hinted the problem arose from paint quality issues that were recently fixed. Considering the source of this latest tidbit of information, it is a fairly safe bet we will see the white iPhone 4 soon. Anyone excited? [Via Engadget]
Apple's Phil Schiller confirms: white iPhone to be available 'this spring'
Whoa, Nelly. Ready for another round? The elusive white iPhone -- spotted only in the hands of Woz and occasionally in those of our own Richard Lai -- may ship after all. After hearing from Apple that it was being delayed twice in 2010, we've heard an extended radio silence ever since. Sure, we've seen hints here and there from third parties that this here unicorn was still making its way through the production line, but there's nothing quite like a direct tweet from Cupertino's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing to really rekindle some interest. In response to a question on how to obtain a white iPhone, Philip Schiller fired back: "The white iPhone will be available this spring (and it is a beauty!)." That's about as clear-cut as it gets for now, but we've still got a few inquiries we'd love answered. Is he talking about the iPhone 4, or the next one in the pipeline? And does he have any intention of building us up, only to let us down (let us down) once more? We shall see, won't we? [Thanks, Stefan]
White iPhone 4 available in April?
After a delay of almost one year, people will soon be able to get their hands on the white iPhone 4, according to Concord Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo told AppleInsider that Apple will begin production of the white iPhone 4 en masse this month with a scheduled early-April ship date. After a long series of problems and delays with the white paint used on the iPhone 4 in 2010, Apple went back to the drawing board and partnered with a Japanese manufacturer to create a new type of paint that allowed for greater control of the thickness of it when applied to a material. While analyst-generated rumors often fall short, Kuo's assertion of the white iPhone 4 seems to be believable as Apple has previously said the white iPhone 4 will finally ship in the spring of 2011 and the fact that Apple is shipping white iPad 2s starting on Friday. Kuo notes that the white iPhone 4 April ship date only applies to GSM iPhones (or AT&T ones if you are in the US). Kou had no word on when the white CDMA (Verizon) iPhone 4 would ship.
Wintek to supply touchscreen panels for white iPhone 5
A new rumor out of China's Economic Daily News suggests Apple has selected Wintek as the sole touchscreen supplier for the white iPhone 5. This contract would push Wintek ahead of TPK Touch solutions, making it the #1 touch panel supplier globally. Of interest to Apple fans, the Asian report adds that Apple is focusing on white models for the rumored iPhone 5. This reported interest in a white iPhone 5 may ruffle the feathers of some iPhone 4 fans who have waited since June 2010 to get their hands on this elusive white model. While reports of the white iPhone 4 come and go, the handset has not been officially released by Apple. Prevailing rumors suggest the long delay of this highly desirable model stems from a problem with the opacity and thickness of the white coloring. If true, this Asian report is good news for white iPhone fans. A renewed focus on the white model may indicate that Apple has worked out its manufacturing kinks, and the white handset may finally emerge -- hopefully in the spring as the iPhone 4 and later this year as the iPhone 5.
White iPhone 4 starts to get Best Buy, The Source shelf space
This shelf tag was apparently spotted this weekend at a Best Buy in Houston, and it speaks for itself: white iPhone 4, AT&T, $599.99 off contract (the same price as the black). Of course, we all know this thing is coming within the next few weeks at this point -- there's just too much evidence pointing in that direction -- but the fact that we've got big box retailers printing and placing tags for it now suggests that it's coming sooner rather than later. Oh, and in case you're wondering, that QR code link is dead at the moment -- we've linked it below in case you want to give it a shot. Update: Looks like The Source (Canada's version of Radio Shack) is also making room. See for yourself after the break. Thanks, Anonymous! [Thanks, Joel P.]
Why the camera isn't the culprit for the white iPhone 4's delay (update: Woz responds)
Unless you've been away from the Internet over the last few days, you would've no doubt heard about Woz's special appearance at the Engadget Show on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, a few websites ran with some quotes that they pulled from our interview -- specifically, the highlight was Woz "confirming" that the white iPhone 4 was indeed delayed due to camera issues. Well, I don't think this is the case at all. In fact, I'm sure there are plenty of other good reasons for why Apple's been delaying the much anticipated flavor of its flagship smartphone, but the camera just isn't one of them. Head right past the break and all will be explained. Update: Our man Woz has just responded in the comments: I said plenty to make it clear that I know nothing of Apple's reasons for rejecting anything ever. I told how when I got my white iPhone 4 assembled I tested the flash photos and they did indeed have problems. I spoke of testing flash photos versus non-flash ones and comparing flash photos between my white and black iPhones. I don't recall saying that it was a 'reason' Apple rejected the parts although I had read that. For the last part, we were referring to 0:55 in the interview video after the break, but now that Woz has spoken, it could've been a joke at the time that got misinterpreted by some websites. They tend to do that with Woz. Read on!
The Engadget Show featuring Steve Wozniak's white iPhone
You may remember when Steve Wozniak flashed his (fake) white iPhone on CNN back in December, but Engadget now has something even better -- a 6-minute video of Woz discussing his white iPhone and talking about how he bought the parts from a teenager who Apple later shut down. The video is an edited segment from the January 31, 2011 edition of The Engadget Show and is a must-see for Apple fanatics awaiting the arrival of the mystical white iPhone 4 this spring. Click Read More to check out the video.
The Engadget Show: Steve Wozniak's white iPhone (video)
You may have heard a thing or two about Steve Wozniak's white iPhone from the Engadget Show this past Sunday, and while you should really go and watch the entire amazing interview, we've broken out the iPhone conversation. Enjoy!
