A White iPhone? Not a Chance.
There have been persistent rumours suggesting that the 3g version of the iPhone will have a glossy white back. The latest “leaked” photos come from Dutch site iPhoneClub.nl. Call me cynical, but these just don’t stack up, here’s why.
Firstly, Apple is trying hard to break into business, specifically enterprise, with the iPhone. Creating one in white plastic is not the way to infiltrate enterprise. Consider what Apple have done with the iMac. In order to get into business, they went from white plastic to a more sophisticated, aluminum styling. Has everyone forgotten this? Considering your phone is something you will get seen with, an item that is far more visible to potential customer, clients and partners than a desktop computer, this isn’t the place for businesses to be taking risks.
There are a few other reasons why we won’t see a white iPhone. Can you imagine, for example, an iPod that looks more sophisticated than an iPhone? Apple has been pushing the iPhone as a more sophisticated device, so it’s unlikely they’ll sabotage this consistent message with branding which suggests the opposite.
So what is going on with these so-called leaked photographs? Let’s examine some possibilities.
The first, and possibly least plausible explanation is that Apple is forking the iPhone platform, with an iPhone (the white version) and an iPhone Pro (similar to the current iPhone). I’m basing this purely on the current MacBook lineup, with a white plastic MacBook for consumers and an aluminum MacBook Pro for businesses and prosumers. Recent rumours suggesting a black plastic version of the new iPhone, mirroring the options available for the MacBook, lend some strength to this theory. However, I can’t see it. At the moment there aren’t enough enterprise-level features available for the iPhone to distinguish the two versions. GPS, a rumoured feature, is something consumers are likely to want more than enterprise, and because of the app store Apple don’t really have the option of distinguishing between the versions based on performance because of the compatibility and support headaches that would follow.
The second possibility is that these are mock-ups of the product made from whatever materials Apple could lay their hands on at the time. i.e. they represent the size and dimensions of the final product, but not the materials. The fact that we’re yet to see a leaked image with an active, turned-on iPhone suggest this may be the case, with shells being sent out to accessory manufacturers. And the fact it is accessory manufacturers that seem to be spreading all the leaks so far should give us hope this is the case.
The third, and final possibility is that these are simple photoshopped images sent out to the interwebs in order to gain publicity for certain sites. It’s happened before, it will happen again, and it may be happening now. The consistency throughout the images seems unusual and would point to either some collaboration between “contributors” or the evolution of these scams to the point where they follow certain trends started by other photoshoppers in order to lend their, and the initiators, images more credence. There’s certainly been some evidence of this happening recently.
Pick whichever of the three possibilities above suits your opinion the closest. Regardless of which is closest to the truth, it should at least mean we don’t have to put up with a garish white iPhone come June.
Um…. YOU’RE a CYNICAL BUTT! And preposterous.
looks like you were wrong
I think I did alright! 😉 The point I was trying to make was that there wouldn’t be only a white iPhone 3g available because it would create a hurdle for business.
i love my white iMac much better than the new aluminum… it has such a clear retro feel that is just great. Its all personal preference baby.
You officially suck. And don’t try to rub any of this “I was only saying that there wasn’t [i]only[/i] going to a white iphone” because you clearly weren’t when you said “There are a few other reasons why we won’t see a white iPhone”.
Don’t be an idiot and admit when you’re quite clearly, absolutely, fucking wrong.
Sucks to be wrong, big mouth.
Ouch, you were so wrong. Sucks to be you. Justify it all you like…
“There are a few other reasons why we won’t see a white iPhone. Can you imagine, for example, an iPod that looks more sophisticated than an iPhone?”
Ba bow.
Yes, obviously, I was wrong. But, I was genuinely taken aback when they announced the white iPhone because of the reasons above. I can’t see many enterprise users going for it and, in general, I think Apple are in a situation where they have an iPod that does look more sophisticated, more professional, than the iPhone. I understand their reasons (better radio reception), but not their execution.
Don’t justify your mistakes, you are pretty retarded to think apple wouldn’t make a white iPhone, IT IS their color. They even have patented their own shade of white. Go home and never publish your opinions again.
OK geez, no need to get so worked up. It’s only an opinion. He admits he was mistaken, but it’s no reason to jump down his throat. At least it was an intelligent, seemingly informed opinion. I, personally, am happy to see a white iPhone. I just love the look of it!
I know for a fact you can only get the iPhone in white if you but the $317 dollar 16GB iPhone. I know this because I ordered it today at 10 o’clock.
Goddamn back orders got me waiting for like, 15 days for it, but its so gunna be worth it.
P.S. I think white is pretty, not garish.
It’s one thing to be totally wrong. It’s something else to be wrong and be arrogant at the same time. My goodness, you write with such assurance and even bravado, and you don’t know what you’re talking about. I sit here shaking my head.
Well, shows what you know! I’m getting my white iphone tomorrow!
The white iPhone looks better if you ask me. The black seems very out of character for an Apple gadget. I’ve always known them to have white products and I was kind of upset when they did the aluminum with the computers. They’ve even started putting black on the macbook and macbook pro. It almost seems like they are trying to become more mainstream. HP and Dell and all the other major PC brands have generally stuck to a gray or black casing with their products, as with most cell phone companies too, and I think that Macs going black (no pun intended) almost ruins their uniqueness within the industry.
lol, you = fail