Apple Finally Brings The White iPhone To Market

The white iPhone 4 has landed. As rumored, the albino smartphone has finally hit stores almost a year after it was originally announced. Which is nice, since the iPhone 5 is now not expected until September (no word on when the HumanCentiPad will be released). So why did it take so long? "It was challenging," Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller explained to AllThingsD.

Specifically, “It’s not as simple as making something white. There’s a lot more that goes into both the material science of it-how it holds up over time…but also in how it all works with the sensors.” Also? It turns out that "like fair-skinned humans, white iPhones need a little more UV protection from the sun."

The long wait isn't just good for those folk who have been holding off on buying a personal location tracker from the Cupertino company. The techniques the company used in getting the phone out the door are also being used in the white iPad and will be used in future products. “We obviously think about this in a generic way because you have a white iPad,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs explained.

We've never really understood the appeal of the white iPhones though—don't most people end up wrapping their phones in covers anyway? And do be careful when agreeing to those Terms of Service...