14 DAY TRIAL // A few hours ago, Apple took down its online store in what would suggest that regular maintenance is being carried out, most likely to update some of the offerings, including prices, and / or shipping times.
However, those with ties to Apple’s retail system say they’ve noticed a very interesting change: the removal of the White iPhone 4 SKU (stock keeping unit).
The White iPhone 4 has been the subject of debate for almost a year now, with Apple failing to deliver this model on day one, as well as in the months to follow, all the way through 2011.
Delayed three times, the White iPhone 4 was last scheduled to debut this spring, and while there is enough time for Apple to fulfill that promise, many believe the device will never see the light of day. Not in the current form factor, anyway.
There are some who believe the White iPhone 4 has been scrubbed altogether, and that Apple plans to make things right by shipping both black and white iPhone 5 units from day one, whenever the company confirms its existence.
That remains to be seen. However, the fact that Apple took its online store down and removed the existing SKU listings from its retail system doesn’t mean Cupertino has abandoned plans to ship the handset.
In fact, it could well mean that Apple is merely giving the SKUs new designations. Perhaps taking the store offline actually means the White iPhone 4 is finally launching today.
Should Apple confirm our speculation, we can also expect the company to explain what exactly caused the hold-up.
It has been widely reported that it was the paint Apple originally chose for the phone’s front and back glass plates, which turned out to be flawed, as it allowed light to leak from the LED flash into the camera lens.
The company never confirmed this. Instead, it only said the White iPhone 4 was more difficult to manufacture.
We’ll update this report the minute Apple’s store goes back online. In the meanwhile, readers are encouraged to use the comments to express their thoughts on what we might see changed today.
UPDATE: the lights are back on at Apple's online store where there are no visible changes yet.