White iPhone available Thursday

Let us slaughter the fattened calf, for the prodigal device has returned!

After months of waiting and hoping, the gods have heard our prayers and have smiled upon us. The white iPhone 4 will officially be available in Apple stores, partner stores, and online starting Thursday, April 28, Apple announced.

“The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it’s beautiful,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing, in a statement. “We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we’ve worked to get every detail right.”

Patient, indeed. Today’s announcement comes after months of delays. While both the black and white versions of the iPhone 4 were unveiled at Apple’s summer developer conference in June 2010, the black iPhone 4 was put on shelves while the white iPhone 4 was held back to work out some bothersome kinks that had arisen. Evidently there was a problem with the paint peeling under heat, according to individuals close to the matter. And there were problems with a sensor as well.

Last July, Apple announced that the white iPhone 4 would be released later that year, but with no explanation as to why. Finally, in October, Apple announced that it would be delaying the release of the white iPhone until spring 2011, saying only that it was "more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected.”

When Apple last announced that it would be delaying the white iPhone until spring 2011, it seemed somewhat unlikely, considering the fact that Apple usually launches its upgraded iPhones in the summer.

And then there was also the fact that Apple was widely expected to launch a CDMA-compatible iPhone for Verizon in January. A new iPhone in the winter, spring, and summer sounded pretty crowded, which is why it makes sense that Apple has reportedly decided to skip its traditional June iPhone launch at the summer developers conference this year.

But all of that is in the past. I forgive you, Apple.

Beginning tomorrow, the white iPhone 4 will be available for both AT&T and Verizon in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, the UK, and the U.S., and consumers can purchase the 16GB version for $199 or the 32GB version for $299. The device will be on shelves in the Apple Store, Apple retail stores, AT&T and Verizon stores, and from select resellers. 

Image source: Apple.com