The reason behind the white iPhone 4 delay: Apple's glass supplier

Many of us were disappointed when June 15th arrived and the white iPhone was not available for pre-order or reservation. The day before the launch of the iPhone 4, Apple provided a vague explanation claiming that the white iPhone 4 had "proven more challenging to manufacture than expected." It turns out that this manufacturing problem comes from Lens Technology, Apple's glass supplier.

A worker from Lens' quality control department has allegedly admitted that the company's screen-printing workshop may currently be dealing with some issues with the white iPhone 4 covers. Specifically, the factory's still working out the perfect combination of paint thickness and opacity -- the former to ensure the next sub-contractor has enough clearance for the digitizer overlay, and the latter for the absolute whiteness that Jony Ive and co. strive for.

So the delay is simply about how thick the layer of white paint should be - certainly not something I was expecting, but it makes perfect sense. Leave it to Jony Ive to delay the launch of a product because it doesn't look exactly how he wants it to. Surprisingly, this doesn't bother me. Part of the iPhone 4's appeal is its design and I expect mine to look perfectly white when I finally have it in my hand. I'm willing to wait for this perfection - albeit, not very patiently.

What about you? Do you think this is an acceptable reason to the delay the white iPhone 4? Or would you have preferred to have it sooner, but not as white?

[Engadget]