14 DAY TRIAL // Apple appears to have already made up its mind on the touch panel supplier for the white version of the next-generation iPhone 5. The current generation iPhone still falls short of a white model, which Apple promised to launch this Spring.
Citing the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN), DigiTimes reinforces a report which names Wintek as the touch panel supplier for Apple’s white iPhone 5.
Specifically, the paper noted that Wintek will be “the sole touch panel supply for white iPhone 5s and may replace TPK Touch Solutions to become the leading touch panel maker worldwide in 2011 as Apple plans to focus on white models for the iPhone 5,” according to DigiTimes, which draws its information from said EDN report (emphasis ours).
The EDN said Wintek declined to comment, and we can expect things to stay this way.
Apple has delayed the launch of its white iPhone 4 not once, but three times since the smartphone was introduced in the summer of 2010.
In June 2010, Apple accused manufacturing difficulties posed by this version of the already controversial device.
The company continued to sell the black version as planned, promising to get around to launching the white model soon.
Such plans got foiled, with Apple announcing the following month (July 2010) that iPhone 4 White was still not ready for shipping.
As reported on multiple occasions by Softpedia, Apple’s third and last delay of the handset was in October 2010, when the company revealed that the white version of the iPhone 4 would not arrive until spring 2011.
At the time, high-profile blogs and websites focusing on Apple news went on record to say that Apple wasn’t likely to ever release the smartphone.
The main reason cited was the likelihood of an iPhone 5 announcement just a few months ahead.