'White iPhone 4 secretly Verizon iPhone' theories reignited by new delay

Apple has once again delayed the white iPhone 4, again citing manufacturing challenges, but what Apple has not said is what those challenges are or even whether they even apply to the white outer surface of the device. While most unconfirmed third party reports have suggested that the white glass material is the culprit, today’s new delay has reignited an old theory: perhaps the white iPhone 4 has been a manufacturing “challenge” because it’s a different hardware product altogether, namely the long-rumored “hybrid” model which would include compatibility for both the AT&T and Verizon networks.

Apple never made it clear why it switched to an external antenna model with the iPhone 4; reception on the iPhone 4 is stronger than that of any previous iPhone model, which would be reason enough to justify the change, there could be more than meets the eye. The various hackers who’ve taken apart the black iPhone 4 would have spotted a Verizon-compatible antenna if indeed there were one in there, but that doesn’t mean that the white model couldn’t have antenna functionality built in for both carriers. This would require squeezing more hardware into the same physical package, which would explain the “manufacturing challenges” that Apple keeps vaguely referring to.