THEORY: The delayed white iPhone 4 led to systemic delays in iPhone development.
Chew on this -- and understand that this is a theory:
Apple, which obviously has a long-term road map on when they want to release their products, fully intended on releasing a white iPhone 4 in mid-2010 with the black version. After experiencing MAJOR delays in getting this done, they perhaps had an "oh crap" moment when they realized that it would set back not only their plans for the white iPhone 4 but ALSO the iPhone 5.
The timeline as it has happened:
June 2008 - Apple announces iPhone 3G
June 2009 - Apple announces and releases black iPhone 3GS
June 2010 - Apple announces iPhone 4 in black and white, releases black only
April 2011 - Apple releases iPhone 4 in white (10 mo. late)
June 2011 - Apple announces and releases NO new iPhones
Oct. 2011 - Apple announces iPhone 4S in black and white for release in same month.
Now, two possibilities (of which the first is probably more likely):
1) Apple intended to release an iPhone 4S all along. They planned to release it in June of 2011, but major delays kicked in on getting the white iPhone 4 just right to the point that it didn't come out until April 2011. This delay on the 4 pushed back development of the 4S to the point that they couldn't release it until October of 2011 (after hurrying it up big time). Under this scenario...
The timeline as it could have been (if all went right):
June 2010 - Apple announces and releases iPhone 4 in black and white
June 2011 - Apple announces and releases iPhone 4S in black and white
Future date - Apple announces and releases iPhone 5
2) Apple never intended to release an iPhone 4S, but development of the iPhone 5 was pushed back so far because of the white iPhone 4 delays that they felt they had to do something as a stop-gap while still in 2011 and before the holidays. Enter iPhone 4S. Same internals as they may have wanted in an iPhone 5, but in a familiar and easily-adaptable form factor. Some plans may have had to be sacrificed or delayed including releasing a full version of Siri (hence, why it wasn't announced at WWDC and it's only still in beta), adapting iOS 5 for resolution independence to accommodate a 4" screen and potentially a lot of other things we don't know about. Under this scenario...
The timeline as it could have been (if all went right):
June 2010 - Apple announces and releases iPhone 4 in black and white
June 2011 - Apple announces and releases iPhone 5 in black and white
Think about it.
The white iPhone 4 didn't arrive until April 2011 -- TEN months delayed from when it was announced and two months before a regularly-timed update would have happened in June. Now only six months after its release they announce and are ready to ship a new white model with better camera, improved antennae and dual-core chip.
Look at what's happened in the industry since June and how it would have been framed by an iPhone 4S or 5 announcement IN June. Such an announcement and, presumably, release would have preceded the Droid Bionic, Photon 4G, and Galaxy S II hitting American shores. Such a dual-core, 1080p-recording, world-phone powerhouse would have made an even bigger splash in the smartphone world -- at least in the U.S. If it had a larger screen, that would have been even more the case. Heck, the aforementioned Android phones and all others released since June would have been compared to it instead of vice versa. Now Apple has to play catch-up.
Make no mistake: I'd bet good money that the white iPhone 4 delays put a wrench in the system of Apple's design and release plans for the iPhone line and we'll be seeing the ramifications for at least another 9 months or so - at least - until we see the iPhone 5.
What do you think?
Apple, which obviously has a long-term road map on when they want to release their products, fully intended on releasing a white iPhone 4 in mid-2010 with the black version. After experiencing MAJOR delays in getting this done, they perhaps had an "oh crap" moment when they realized that it would set back not only their plans for the white iPhone 4 but ALSO the iPhone 5.
The timeline as it has happened:
June 2008 - Apple announces iPhone 3G
June 2009 - Apple announces and releases black iPhone 3GS
June 2010 - Apple announces iPhone 4 in black and white, releases black only
April 2011 - Apple releases iPhone 4 in white (10 mo. late)
June 2011 - Apple announces and releases NO new iPhones
Oct. 2011 - Apple announces iPhone 4S in black and white for release in same month.
Now, two possibilities (of which the first is probably more likely):
1) Apple intended to release an iPhone 4S all along. They planned to release it in June of 2011, but major delays kicked in on getting the white iPhone 4 just right to the point that it didn't come out until April 2011. This delay on the 4 pushed back development of the 4S to the point that they couldn't release it until October of 2011 (after hurrying it up big time). Under this scenario...
The timeline as it could have been (if all went right):
June 2010 - Apple announces and releases iPhone 4 in black and white
June 2011 - Apple announces and releases iPhone 4S in black and white
Future date - Apple announces and releases iPhone 5
2) Apple never intended to release an iPhone 4S, but development of the iPhone 5 was pushed back so far because of the white iPhone 4 delays that they felt they had to do something as a stop-gap while still in 2011 and before the holidays. Enter iPhone 4S. Same internals as they may have wanted in an iPhone 5, but in a familiar and easily-adaptable form factor. Some plans may have had to be sacrificed or delayed including releasing a full version of Siri (hence, why it wasn't announced at WWDC and it's only still in beta), adapting iOS 5 for resolution independence to accommodate a 4" screen and potentially a lot of other things we don't know about. Under this scenario...
The timeline as it could have been (if all went right):
June 2010 - Apple announces and releases iPhone 4 in black and white
June 2011 - Apple announces and releases iPhone 5 in black and white
Think about it.
The white iPhone 4 didn't arrive until April 2011 -- TEN months delayed from when it was announced and two months before a regularly-timed update would have happened in June. Now only six months after its release they announce and are ready to ship a new white model with better camera, improved antennae and dual-core chip.
Look at what's happened in the industry since June and how it would have been framed by an iPhone 4S or 5 announcement IN June. Such an announcement and, presumably, release would have preceded the Droid Bionic, Photon 4G, and Galaxy S II hitting American shores. Such a dual-core, 1080p-recording, world-phone powerhouse would have made an even bigger splash in the smartphone world -- at least in the U.S. If it had a larger screen, that would have been even more the case. Heck, the aforementioned Android phones and all others released since June would have been compared to it instead of vice versa. Now Apple has to play catch-up.
Make no mistake: I'd bet good money that the white iPhone 4 delays put a wrench in the system of Apple's design and release plans for the iPhone line and we'll be seeing the ramifications for at least another 9 months or so - at least - until we see the iPhone 5.
What do you think?
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