So Long, White iPhone…

Though yesterday may have brought a new version of the iPhone 4 into the world, it marked the silent exit of another. Immediately following the announcement of the Verizon iPhone 4, Apple refreshed its iPhone page with information on the new CDMA compliant handset. However, in the midst of the update, all photos of the much fabled white iPhone 4 were seemingly purged. Could this be the end for the black iPhone’s ghostly cousin?

Apple last mentioned the pale device in a statement issued late October 2010. In this announcement, the tentative “end of the year” release date (previously July) was bumped to “early next year.” In the days following this press release, Apple significantly scaled back the white phone’s presence on its site, and removed the option to pre-order. Interestingly, multiple product photos displaying the white model remained on the iPhone 4 gallery page. This move seemed almost a subtle nod indicating the device was still in the pipeline for future release. Sadly, Apple may have delivered the coup de grâce yesterday, as even the longstanding “hero” shots of the white phone were taken down.

Though some had speculated Apple had been holding the white phone back for an exclusive Verizon release, yesterday’s occurrences dismissed the claim. While Apple hasn’t officially confirmed or denied the model’s early demise, the future of the device seems appropriately snowy.