How the white iPhone 4 may have accidentally paved the way for Apples next
big iPhone shakeup

Date:
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:50:09 +0000

Description:
The delayed white iPhone 4 mightve prompted Apples current iPhone launch schedule a tradition thats on the cusp of major change.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter These days, Apple fans are pretty used to delays. Secret projects like Apples self-driving car were pushed back again and again until they were eventually scrapped, while the AirPower charger was teased on-stage before Apple threw in the towel. And
dont even get me started on the perpetually late Siri overhaul .

Apple is no stranger to overdue products, then, and the company had its fair share of them even during the halcyon days of Steve Jobs leadership. One example was the white version of the iPhone 4, which finally launched 15
years ago today a full 10 months after the black edition arrived. But aside from being a near-terminally delayed device, I have a theory that this products long and troubled history led to the iPhone launch cycle that we
have today. And interestingly enough, its a cycle that could be on the brink of changing all over again. Article continues below You may like The iPhone
SE launched 10 years ago today and it's never been more relevant Apple will grit its teeth and push through new report suggests the iPhone Air 2 isnt dead, and I sincerely hope its true The iPhone Fold could be facing issues but at least weve seen new dummy units What was the problem? (Image credit: Getty Images) Apple unveiled the iPhone 4 on June 7, 2010, with preorders beginning on June 15. Yet by June 24, it was clear that something was amiss. Apple provided a statement declaring that the white edition was proving to be more challenging to manufacture than it had expected. The launch was delayed to the latter half of July a date that looks wildly optimistic in hindsight.

In the end, the white iPhone 4 wouldnt arrive until April 28, 2011 10 months and three weeks after the June 7 announcement.

So, what caused two versions of the same phone to be launched nearly a full year apart? After all, didnt Apple just need to manufacture the iPhone 4 in a new color and leave it at that?

Well, not quite. You see, Apple itself was pretty confident during
development that the white iPhone 4 would be essentially identical to the black one, just with a different colorway adorning its chassis. Speaking in April 2011, Apples marketing chief Phil Schiller said, We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we werent. Describing the process as challenging, Apple was evidently as surprised as everyone else. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The problem lay in the phones camera, specifically how the camera reacted to the white chassis. Photos taken on the device tended to come out blurry, especially if the built-in flash was used. Thats something that wasnt happening with the black version.

As it turns out, the fault lay in the iPhones proximity sensor, which became confused by the phones white shell. When the flash was used, it overwhelmed the proximity sensor, which prevented the iPhone from being able to
accurately gauge the subjects distance from the phone hence the blurry images.

This issue wasnt present in previous iPhones because they lacked a built-in flash, and they were absent from the black iPhone 4 because its darker case didnt have the same effect. It might have been a problem with the silver iPad 2 that was released around the same time, but it too lacked a flash. What to read next Two future iPhones may be largely unchanged in appearance, leaker claims The iPhone Fold again rumored to be launching alongside the iPhone 18 Pro The most conflicted Ive ever been about a phone reappraising the iPhone Air, 6 months later

Somehow, all of this escaped Apples usually rigorous testing process. Under Steve Jobs, the company was known for its intense attention to detail and maniacal dedication to quality. So how on earth did it miss something as significant as this?

Thats what we dont know. But 15 years ago, it was a large enough problem for Apple to push back the white iPhone 4 for close to 11 months. And that had a knock-on effect further down the line. A lasting legacy (Image credit:
Future) For one reason or another, Apple decided to drive on and fix the
white iPhone 4 instead of consigning it to the scrap heap. But that presented another problem: its much-delayed release date.

At the time, Apple launched new iPhones in the summer. The iPhone 4 arrived
in June, and every previous iPhone was unveiled in either June or July.

But with the white iPhone 4 finally stepping into the limelight in April
2011, that left just two months until the world would be presented with the iPhone 4S . That was a sizeable problem for Apple, as it risked both the
white iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S cannibalizing each others sales. Customers, too, could be confused by the close arrivals of the two products.

What did Apple decide to do? Delay the iPhone all over again. The iPhone 4S was pushed back from its summer launch window to October 2011 to create some breathing room. That helped forge enough of a gap to prevent the two iPhones from stepping on each others toes.

The next year, Apple presented the iPhone 5 to the world in September, and
the company has stuck with the virtually unchanged September timeframe ever since. While Apple has never come out and said it, I suspect that, if it werent for the white iPhone 4 and its problematic development history, we could still be seeing new iPhones in the summer.

Yet as we mark the 15th anniversary of this turn of events, we might be on
the cusp of another major iPhone launch shake-up. If the rumors are to be believed, Apple is going to divide the launch of the iPhone 18 range into two parts.

That could see the iPhone 18 Pro , iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra take to the stage in fall 2026. The iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and possibly even the iPhone Air 2 , however, are mooted to be held back for spring 2027, meaning youll have to wait longer for the more affordable end of the roster.

As far as anyone can tell, Apples hand hasnt been forced by a troubled manufacturing process, so the reason for its decision is somewhat unclear.
But its fascinating to me that the potential legacy of the white iPhone 4 those September release events could finally be giving way to a new schedule a decade and a half after Apples botched launch. Today's best iPhone deals bundle Apple iPhone 17 $1,029.99 View See all prices Apple iPhone 17e $719 View See all prices Apple iPhone 17 Pro $1,329 View See all prices Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max $829.99 View See all prices deal Apple iPhone Air $899 View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/how-the-white-iphone-4-may-have-accide ntally-paved-the-way-for-apples-next-big-iphone-shakeup


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