New York:
It is a busy day for smartphone aficionados. The iPhone 4, due to arrive in stores on Thursday, is getting mostly rave reviews.
(Read: iPhone 4 review)Not to be outdone, Apple's rivals, including Motorola, Google and Verizon, teamed up to announce the latest Android phone, the Droid X, which packs some impressive features.
(See Pics: iPhone 4)But smartphone fans who want the latest features, are picky about style and have a preference for white are likely to be disappointed. Apple said the iPhone 4 will be available only in black for the next few weeks.
The white handsets "have proven more challenging to manufacture than expected, and as a result they will not be available until the second half of July," Apple said in a brief press release.
The company did not specify what manufacturing problems it encountered, but said the availability of black models was not affected by those issues.
The delay is unlikely to be a major setback for Apple. Then again, it would be a mistake to underestimate the importance of color in technology products.
I remember hearing Bill Gates heap scorn on Apple when it introduced the iconic iMacs in bright colors, back in 1998. Mr. Gates questioned whether color was a significant innovation in a PC industry dominated by beige. The iMac, of course, sold well and marked the beginning of Apple's resurgence.
Now that Apple is the most valuable company in the tech industry, scorn has been replaced with fear in many quarters.