iPhone 5 preceded by white T-Mobile surprise release shot

When does two plus two equal a T-Mobile iPhone 4? Here are four reasons why the apparent holdup of the impending iPhone 5 release date means that the iPhone 4 has a shot at getting dressed up white not just for Verizon and AT&T, but for T-Mobile as well:

1. The iPhone 5 arriving late means that Apple must breathe new life into the iPhone 4 era now, rolling new aspects of the would-be iPhone 5 generation into the tail end of the iPhone 4 instead. That means that everything is on the table between now and the fall as Apple attempts to convince people not to wait for the iPhone 5.

2. The best evidence of Apple's sudden iPhone 4 recommitment is the fact that the white iPhone 4 is apparently about to land at retail. We'll see it when we believe it, but it means that Apple is changing up the hardware of the iPhone 4 yet again, if only superficially this time, after having already revamped it for use with Verizon earlier this year. If Apple is indeed delivering modified iPhone 4 hardware this week, that means all options are on the table. It could be an iPhone 4S with a faster A5 processor or larger 64 GB capacity, or it could mean further carrier expansion.

3. AT&T just bought T-Mobile. AT&T already offers the iPhone. As such, T-Mobile was probably already a lock to offer the iPhone 5. A late arriving iPhone 5 means Apple could, if it wants to, go ahead and do a T-Mobile iPhone 4.

4. Everything Apple can do to convince the public that the iPhone 5 is still a ways off will go to help improve iPhone 4 sales in the mean time. If that means a white iPhone 4, or an iPhone 4S, or a T-Mobile iPhone 4, or anything along those lines, it'll help motivate customers who've thus far skipped the iPhone 4 era to accept the notion that A) the iPhone 5 isn't coming soon, and B) the iPhone 4 is worthy of taking the plunge in the mean time. So in that sense, a T-Mobile iPhone 4 wouldn't just open the iPhone to sales of T-Mobile customers; it would send a signal to AT&T and Verizon customers that the iPhone 4 is here to stay awhile. So will Apple go ahead and take that shot now that it's presented itself? We'll see. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

[beatweek.com]