Apple reveals reasons for white iPhone 4 delay

Apple has finally released the highly sought after white iPhone 4 nearly a year after it was initially promised, and has explained the reasons behind the delay.

Pricing for the SIM-free white model is the same as for its black counterpart and starts at £510 for the 16GB model, rising to £612 for the 32GB version.

Apple executives also shed some light on the problems that the company had faced in getting the device to market.

The manufacturing of the white iPhone was "challenging", Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller told All Things Digital during a joint interview with chief executive Steve Jobs.

The white casing reacted with various internal components, and needed some extra UV protection from the sun, according to Schiller.

"It's not as simple as making something white. There's a lot more that goes into the material science of it - how it holds up over time ... and how it all works with the sensors," he said.

"We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren't."

Orange had promised the white iPhone 4 in time for Christmas, but Apple enthusiasts were disappointed when the release was delayed indefinitely.

With the white iPhone 4 issue now resolved, Apple is turning its attention to the iPhone location tracking saga.

The company posted a Q&A on Location Data on Wednesday, stating that it does not track the location of iPhones, "has never done so, and has no plans to ever do so".

Jobs emphasised that Apple does not track users, and noted that the industry needs to better explain the technicalities surrounding the issue. He also confirmed that Apple will testify before Congress next week.