Briefly: White iPhone 4 is 0.2mm thicker; Samsung profit drops; Google TV

Initial reports suggest that the long-delayed white iPhone 4 is 0.2mm thicker than its black counterpart and may not fit all cases. Also, Samsung revealed Thursday in its quarterly earnings report that its profit dropped to the company's lowest figure in almost two years. Finally, Logitech reported disappointing Google TV sales of just $5 million last quarter.

White iPhone 4

After early adopters of Apple's recently released white iPhone 4 reported noticing an apparent difference in thickness between the black iPhone 4 and the white version, TiPb conducted measurements of the two devices. The report found that the white iPhone 4 is roughly 0.2mm thicker than the black model.

Apple lists the depth of both the white iPhone 4 and the black iPhone 4 as 9.3mm, or 0.37 inch. Tests of various cases found that most cases were unaffected by the difference, though a few "were just a tad tight."

The exact cause of the increase in thickness on the white iPhone 4 remains unclear, though some have speculated that a new paint mix and UV protection contribute to the difference. AppleInsider reported earlier this year that Apple had partnered with a Japanese company to develop a new paint material for the white iPhone 4.

iPhone 4 width comparison via TiPb

In an interview earlier this week, Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller explained that a number of reasons, including the need for more protection from ultraviolet rays from the sun, contributed to the 10-month delay.

Analyst Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities sees Apple selling between 1 to 1.5 million units of the white iPhone 4 each in the June and September quarters.

Samsung

Samsung saw a 30 percent drop in profit last quarter after phone sales for the Korean company fell 14 percent year over year to 70 million devices, Electronista reports.

The electronics giant posted 2.95 trillion won ($2.75 billion) in operating profit, compared to a consensus forecast of 3.1 trillion won. Samsung also reported a disappointing quarter in January.

Samsung was hit hardest in its display business, losing $214.85 million and shipping eight percent fewer LCDs. On the upside, shipments of tablet displays, many of which are likely bound for Apple's iPad, grew by roughly 30 percent.

With 2010 purchases of $5.68 billion in components, Apple was Samsung's second biggest customer, behind Sony. In February, a Korean newspaper claimed that Apple claim the top spot by buying $7.8 billion in parts from Samsung in 2011.

Apple and Samsung have recently begun a extensive legal battle. Earlier this month, Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung, accusing the company of copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad. Samsung has responded with countersuits (1, 2) in four different countries: Korea, Japan, Germany and the U.S.

Google TV

Logitech missed its estimate of $18 million in Google TV product and peripheral sales in the fiscal fourth quarter by over 70 percent with just $5 million in sales, GigaOM reports. Last quarter, the company reported $22 million in sales of Google TV-related products. To make matters worse, inventory for the devices rose 28 percent last quarter.

CEO Gerald P. Quindlen told investors Thursday that he remains "enthusiastic about Google TV," while announcing plans to scale back marketing for the Revue Google TV set-top box.

Logitech was one of Google's launch partners for the Google TV platform. However, when the platform was released last November, reviewers criticized it for being complicated and confusing. Late last year, technology journalist Walt Mossberg named Google TV his second worst reviewed product of 2010.

Last December, on the heels of a report that Google TV hardware makers' plans had been held up by Google, sources from one of Logitech's suppliers claimed that the company had suspended shipments of the Revue while waiting for a Google TV update. However, Logitech issued a statement denying that Google had asked it to halt production of the device.

"Logitech is currently meeting the inventory needs of its retail customers, continuing to ship products on schedule to meet their holiday and post-holiday demand," a spokesperson said at the time.

For its part, Apple has seen growing success with its second-generation Apple TV. In December, the company announced that it had sold 1 million units of the device, which went on sale in September. According to one analyst report, total shipments of the device reached 2 million last month.