MacRumors: White iPhone 4 to Finally Arrive By End of April [Updated]

Wednesday April 13, 2011 08:21 PM EST; Category: iPhone
Written by Arnold Kim

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple will finally deliver the white iPhone 4 by the end of April after a 10 month wait. The new version will be available from AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless by the end of April, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren't public. The release was stalled as Apple resolved manufacturing challenges, including paint that peeled under heat, one person said.

Bloomberg's sources reveal that the issue that had caused the delay involved the white paint peeling under heat. After the initial delays, Apple had said the white iPhone would ship by Spring 2011. The new model may help boost sales of the iPhone 4 which has been on the market since June of 2010. Bloomberg also confirms previous reports that Apple is not planning on introducing a new iPhone at WWDC, possibly waiting until later this year to introduce the iPhone 5.

Update: Reuters offers a similar update, claiming that the Apple has begun production on a white iPhone that will be released "within a month". Suppliers to Apple Inc have begun production of white iPhones after a delay of almost 10 months, pointing to a launch date of within a month, two people familiar with the situation said on Thursday.

Update 2: According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple has confirmed that the white iPhone delays are nearly over and reiterates its previous position that the device will be launched this spring. Apple Inc. said Thursday that delays keeping the white iPhone from store shelves are nearly ended and that the device is on track for spring release, reiterating the projection that the company made in October.

Apple declined to comment about which carrier would initially carry the white iPhone 4.

Facebook Android App Gets Updated: Tag Your Friends

For all you Facebook Android users out there in green bot land, you may like to know that there is a new update available for your Facebook application that enables the user to get a bit more social with their Facebook friends.

According to the guys over on Droid-life, the new update for Facebook for Android delivers the ability for users to tag friends when updating their status along with being able to search friends easier, and add you phone number to your profile.

The Facebook for Android update also delivers numerous bug fixes and apparently if you want to tag your friend in a status all you need to do is to type in ‘@’ along with their name, similar to Twitter.

That’s about it in Facebook for Android version 1.5.3, so all you need do now is hit up the update button on your Android smartphone or head on over to the Android Market.

Updated Version of iPad Software Arrives

Apple Apple AirPlay can stream video and photos from the iPad to a television equipped with Apple TV.

Apple released a free updated version of its iPad operating system on Monday morning that will introduce a slew of new features, including some that are already on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The update, called iOS 4.2, was expected before year-end after Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, announced the new features at an Apple product event earlier in the year.

For people who own the latest version of the iPhone and iPod Touch, some of the iPad updates will look familiar. The software gives the iPad the ability to create folders for applications on the device’s home screen for categorizing applications. There are currently more than 40,000 apps available for the iPad.

Multitasking will also be introduced to the iPad, making it possible to run one app–like playing music–while running another program.

Apple Apple added the ability to organize applications into folders on the iPad.

Another feature that is included in the new update is a product called AirPrint that offers the ability to print files wirelessly to a small number of printers that support this feature. Apple has said that initially Hewlett Packard will offer a series of AirPrint-capable printers, but other brands are expected next year.

AirPrint is intended to be very simple to use: once the device has been paired with a printer, users can simply press a on-screen print button and print photos, PDFs or e-mails, wirelessly without having to download and install confusing drivers.

It is unclear how many iPad owners will use the AirPrint feature as one of the benefits of tablets is the ability to read documents that would normally be printed on the go.

For Apple fans who own the latest Apple TV, the new iOS supports a feature called AirPlay which will enable a person to wirelessly stream content on the iPad to a television set.

The feature, can send high-quality photos, video or music to the Apple TV using a Wi-Fi connection.

Apple is also adding new features and document support to its suite of word processing products, which include Pages, Numbers and Keynote. All of the latest features and updates will be available for iPads through the iTunes store.

The iPad has been extremely successful since its launch earlier in the year. According to Apple’s latest financial report, the company has sold over 7.5 million devices since it went on sale in April. Apple is expected to continue its high sales numbers during the holiday season as shoppers purchase iPads as gifts.

Yuanta Securities analysts claim iPad 2 will be delayed until June (Updated)

The iPad 2 may be delayed due to "production bottlenecks" at manufacturing company Hon Hai Precision, parent company of Foxconn. This delay is partially the result of unspecified changes in the iPad 2 design made by Apple before the Lunar New Year on February 3, according to a report from Yuanta Securities analysts Vincent Chen and Alison Chen.

"Our checks suggest new issues are being encountered with the new production and it is taking time to resolve them," writes Chen. "As a number of Android 3.0 tablets are being launched in April and May, the delay in iPad 2 shipments may give the Android camp a brief window of opportunity."

A two month delay would push the iPad launch close to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference and the expected launch date of the iPhone 5. It is possible that Apple could tie the announcement and launch of the two iOS devices together, but the retail debut of two extremely popular devices at the same would be a logistical nightmare. A delay would also cut into analyst's forecast of 30.6 million iPad shipments for 2011, a figure that could drop to 23 million following a delay.

We should note this latest report contradicts previous rumors that suggest the iPad 2 has entered production and is on track for a March release. Both the Wall Street Journal and Japanese website MacOtakara claim to have sources that confirm the iPad 2 is rolling off Asian production lines. According to Bloomberg, an Apple representative in Hong Kong declined to comment on this delay, and Hon Hai spokesperson Edmund Ding was not reachable.

Update: The Loop chimed in with a rebuttal that claims this rumor is absolutely not true. And AllThingsD also claim the iPad 2 will be introduced during a March 2 event.

Rumors of iPhone 5, iPad 2 'Delays' Called Untrue [Updated]

Tuesday February 22, 2011 11:47 AM EST; Category: iPhone
Written by Eric Slivka

Over the past day, a pair of analyst reports have suggested that Apple's second-generation iPad and fifth-generation iPhone will see their launches delayed beyond their previously-planned windows, due in part to design changes and other "issues" with production.

But according to The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, these claims are simply untrue. While Dalrymple is careful to note that he doesn't know when the next-generation versions of Apple's popular iOS devices will ship, he says that any claims that Apple is experiencing internal "delays" are false and that everything is on time according to Apple's schedule. From what I've heard this morning both products are on schedule and will ship when they are supposed to. Only Apple knows exactly when that will be, but the products are not delayed.

Reuters is also reporting that claims of iPad delays are "not true".
In his report, Dalrymple goes on to note the phenomenon of "delays" for products that haven't even been announced. Consequently, it is important to differentiate between the expectations of the media and customers, which are widely discussed, and those of Apple's internal plans, which are much less well-known. It seems amazing that rumors of Apple missing product deadlines are running rampant when Apple hasn't even announced the product yet. The only deadlines that have been set are by the media, not Apple.

Having said that, the iPhone 5 and iPad 2 are not delayed.

Many observers have been looking forward to an iPad release in the same March-April timeframe seen last year, with the next-generation iPhone set to follow in its usual June-July launch window, and it appears that Apple may yet meet those external targets.

Update: Reuters has now published a brief article refuting the delay claims, and Barron's has added its voice to the growing chorus of denials.