White iPhone 4 Debuts, Slightly Thicker

"Apple is so visible that they are micro analyzed," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at The Enderle Group. "I don't think consumers are going to care about this. That little extra amount of thickness is hardly going to spoil their experience [with the new white iPhone 4], but it's just the nature of being Apple."

Proving once again that anything Apple does is immediately put under a microscope, headlines are making their way across the Internet regarding the thickness of the just-debuted white iPhone 4.

At long last, Apple rolled out a white iPhone 4 on Thursday. Some estimates figure Apple may sell 1.5 million white iPhone 4s. It adds a new twist to the iconic device Relevant Products/Services -- and since nobody really knows when the iPhone 5 will make its way to market some consumers may opt for the shiny new technology Relevant Products/Services toy now.

They may buy it, that is, if they aren't too disappointed that the white iPhone 4 is a smidgeon thicker than its black predecessor. Indeed, the white model is a whopping .2mm thicker than the black one. It's hardly noticeable to the naked eye, but close up photos reveal it's a tad fatter.

Micro Analyzing Apple

It took Apple nearly a year to roll out the slightly thicker white iPhone 4. Apple encountered problem after problem producing the white iPhone. What caused the delay?

Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller told All Things Digital, that it's not easy to make a white iPhone. "There's a lot more that goes into both the material science of it -- how it holds up over time...but also in how it all works with the sensors."

The bottom line: it took Apple nine months to build a white iPhone 4 model with sufficient UV protection for its internal components. It seems white iPhones need added protection from the sun, just like fair-skinned humans.

"Apple is so visible that they are micro analyzed," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at The Enderle Group. "I don't think consumers are going to care about this. That little extra amount of thickness is hardly going to spoil their experience with the device, but it's just the nature of being Apple. They live on such a high peak of excellence that anything that falls away from that is highlighted and exemplified."

The Privacy Scandal

For all the hoopla over the white iPhone 4, the microscope remains focused on geolocation tracking issues. Earlier this week news reports revealed that iPhones and iPads collect Relevant Products/Services geolocation data Relevant Products/Services and store it in an unencrypted file on the devices.

"These aren't smartphones; they are spy phones," said John Simpson, director of the nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest group's Privacy Project. "Consumers must have the right to control whether their data is gathered and how it is used."

The Federal Trade Commission's report, "Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change," proposed a Do Not Track mechanism last December. Since then Rep. Jackie Speier, D-CA, has introduced HR 654, the Do Not Track Me Online Act.

In California Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, has introduced SB 761, a bill that would establish a Do Not Track mechanism for companies doing business Relevant Products/Services in California. A "Do Not Track" mechanism is a method that allows a consumer to send a clear, unambiguous message that one's online activities should not be tracked. Recipients of the message would be required to honor it.

"The mobile world is the wild west of the Internet where these tech giants seem to think anything goes," said Simpson. "Consumers need the same sort of strong privacy protections whether they go online via a wired device or a mobile device."