Our long, national nightmare is finally over. After months of delay, the white iPhone 4 is finally on sale.
The iPad 2 is also now available in Japan.
The white version of the popular Apple smartphone is now available via Apple.com, Apple retail stores, AT&T and Verizon, as well as retailers like Target and Best Buy.
The white iPhone 4 was supposed to be available last year when its black counterpart was released, but it was vaporware until today. Apple acknowledged the delay on its Web site with a simple note. "Finally. The amazing white iPhone 4. Now available in white," reads the tagline above an image of the device.
Customers can now place orders online. There is a slightly longer wait for the white one: it will ship in 3 to 5 business days, whereas the black one will ship within 24 hours.
In a FAQ on its Web site, Best Buy said it is now accepting pre-orders for the white iPhone 4. Buyers will have to put down a $50 deposit, which will be applied to a Best Buy gift card, though that gift card does not have to be used to buy the iPhone.
Pre-ordering at Best Buy reserves a person's place in line. "While most pre-orders will be fulfilled on launch day, some will not be able to be fulfilled until additional inventory is received," the store said.
If you bought a black iPhone 4 in the last 30 days at Best Buy, you can exchange it for a white one; Reward Zone Premier Silver members have 45 days.
Target Mobile centers, meanwhile, are also selling the white iPhone 4 starting today. Those with an iPhone 3GS can trade in their device and receive up to a $150 credit toward the purchase of a white iPhone 4 or other Target merchandise. See Target's trade-in site for an instant quote about the value of your smartphone.
Apple's Phil Schiller, meanwhile, spoke to All Things D this week about the challenges involved in making the white iPhone 4.
"It's not as simple as making something white. 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," he said.
White iPhones also need protection from UV rays, Schiller said.
The iPad 2, meanwhile, is now on sale in Japan. The tablet made its debut in the U.S. on March 11 and Apple expanded distribution to 25 additional countries on March 25. That was supposed to include Japan, but after the devastating earthquake and tsunamis, Apple decided to delay the launch.
"We are delaying the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan while the country and our teams focus on recovering from the recent disaster," Apple said at the time.
According to the Wall Street Journal, fans are already lined up in Japan in the hopes of nabbing an iPad 2.
Starting on Friday, the iPad 2 will also be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, India, Israel, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, and UAE.