Apple postpones white iPhone 4 in the UK

Apple will not release the white iPhone in July as planned

Apple has announced that the white model of the iPhone 4 will not be released in the near future. The handset had been due for release in late July.

In a short announcement, the firm confirmed that the white unit had proved difficult to manufacture, while the official web store simply offers the message that the unit is unavailable for orders.

"White models of Apple's new iPhone 4 have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected," Apple said.

The announcement could take some of the shine off the firm's second-quarter financial results, which were announced just this week.

Apple singled out its hardware, not least of all the iPhone, for contributing to revenue gains of 78 per cent.

With the black handset shifting millions in just a few days, and iPhones as a whole shipping to over eight million users, the delay could dent more than Apple's pride.