AppleInsider Staff
Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities believes the white iPhone 4 will help to further boost sales of Apple's hot-selling handset. He said the announcement of the white iPhone 4 last summer, and the 10 month delay for its arrival, have given it a "certain mystique and scarcity value" that he believes could provide a "tailwind" for sales in the June quarter.
White has argued that a white iPhone 4 matters, because certain demographics will find the handset and its different color appealing. In particular, he found in recent travels to Asia that there was quite a bit of interest in the white iPhone 4.
"China has clearly caught 'Apple fever,' and we believe the country is a prime candidate for a 'white' iPhone 4," he said. "Even with a potential iPhone 5 launch in September, we believe a 'white' iPhone 4 could lure consumers to make a purchase."
Consumer purchases of electronics are not an entirely rational decision, he said, and some products are purchased for different reasons, including status, aesthetics, functionality, quality, and a "cool factor."
AppleInsider first reported on Sunday that Apple has begun shipping white iPhone 4 units to its retail stores in the U.S. It is believed that the device will go on sale this Wednesday, April 27.
The introduction of the white iPhone 4 10 months late may be possible because of a later-than-usual introduction of the new fifth-generation iPhone this year. Sources have indicated that Apple's next-generation handset will go into production in September, after the usual June launch timeframe.
The white iPhone 4 was delayed numerous times by Apple, which cited manufacturing problems. Earlier this year, AppleInsider learned that Apple had turned to a Japanese company to craft a new paint material to resolve those issues.
The white iPhone 4 is just one of many products in Apple's pipeline that White believes will push Apple's stock 100 points higher in the next three to five months. Ticonderoga Securities has a 12-month price target of $612 for AAPL stock.
He expects strong demand for the iPad 2 to continue, and for the iPhone 5 to have a strong launch later this year. White also reiterated claims that Apple could release an Internet-connected high-definition television set by the end of this year, based on his checks with sources.
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26 Comments
The white iPhone 4 is just one of many products in Apple's pipeline that White believes...
of course white thinks white will be awesome. he's hardly unbiased...
in all seriousness, i completely agree. further, i think there are probably a good number of people who actually waited for the white handset, who will now pick one up (not just because it's new and different -- but because they wanted white to begin with). might also be some who want a nice white iphone to go with their nice new white ipad...
After my front glass got smashed I eventually was somewhere that could fix it and paid a few dollars more for a "off the test line" white refit.
From what I've directly observed from reactions to it, there is a mystique and desire surrounding it. It is going to move, strange as it may seem what with a 4s round the corner.
It will sell well. Lots of people went for a white iPad 2.
Really, what do they pay the guys who come up with this bar stool piffle?
It looks classy but I can’t help but think that anyone who specifically choose to wait 10 months for a device they wanted because of color is a bit of a nob. That said, sales data shows people do buy the iPhone year round and this could be what finally makes them consider an iPhone 4.