New paint supposedly fixes white iPhone production issue

Recent sightings of the white iPhone 4 in inventory systems suggest the release of the elusive handset may be imminent. Another report from Japanese blog Macotakara lends credence to these earlier leaks by claiming the paint problems that plagued the white iPhone 4 have been solved. According to the report, a Japanese company developed a process that lets the manufacturer set the thickness of an applied painting layer. This breakthrough may finally permit the mass production of this coveted white handset.

The white iPhone 4 was announced last June and has been delayed on several occasions. Apple's official statement on the delay of the white iPhone pointed to a manufacturing problem, but the details behind this unexpected problem were never disclosed by the Cupertino company. Rumored reports from multiple sources pointed to a problem with paint, specifically the thickness and opacity, which distorted the color of the white handset. Engadget discusses these trials and tribulations in an excellent article that details this troubled manufacturing process.

If this rumor pans out and the paint problem has been solved, we may actually see the white iPhone 4 materialize in the near future. While customers may have been clamoring over the white iPhone 4 at launch, how many Apple faithful will still jump on the handset now that we are so close to the iPhone 5 launch?

[Via Redmond Pie and MobileCrunch]

New paint supposedly fixes white iPhone production issue originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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