After 10 months of delays and rumours, Apple confirmed late last night that the white version of the iPhone 4 will go on sale in Australia and a number of other countries today.
The white version of the iPhone 4 was announced at the same time as the black version last year in June, but Apple was quickly forced to issue a statement to the effect that the white model had ended up being “more challenging to manufacture” than initially expected. Since then, there has been a constant trickle of speculation about when the model would be released, and what the production problems were.
“The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it’s beautiful,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, last night. “We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we’ve worked to get every detail right.”
Vodafone is the first of Australia’s telcos to announce the new white model’s local availability, price-matching the white handset with current pricing for the black model. On a Vodafone AU$45 Infinite Plan a 16GB White iPhone 4 costs an extra AU$15 per month, while the 32GB version adds AU$20 per month to the contract. Full Vodafone pricing can be found on the company’s website.
“White models of iPhone 4 will be available in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and the US, beginning Thursday, April 28 and in many more countries around the world soon,” Apple said in a statement.
Update: Optus has also announced the availability of white iPhone 4 handsets and confirmed that pricing will remain the same as it has been for black iPhones. A spokesperson for Optus also warned that stock was limited and advised customers to phone ahead before visiting an Optus store to avoid disappointment.