Apple to launch white iPhone 4 on Thursday

The long awaited white iPhone will finally be available for Apple fans the world over from Thursday, according to a missive from Apple today.

The device will be on sale via the Apple web site, as well as retail stores and selected authorised resellers, according to the firm.

"The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it's beautiful," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing. "We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we've worked to get every detail right."

Apple has certainly taken its time in releasing the white version of its hugely popular handset. It was originally scheduled for launch in late July 2010 but was hit by manufacturing problems.

"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," noted Apple's statement at the time.

Judging from the brief statement today, Apple fans hoping to get a taste of the forthcoming iPhone 5 are likely to be disappointed, as only regular iPhone 4 features such as Retina display and FaceTime calling are mentioned.