The elusive white iPhone has been delayed yet again.
Apple said Wednesday that the device, which was slated to go on sale before the end of the year, will not be available until spring. The company did not give an explanation for the new delay.
"We are sorry to disappoint customers who ware waiting for the white iPhone yet again," said Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman. "We've decided to delay its release until spring."
In mid-July, Steven P. Jobs, Apple's chief executive, said that the white iPhone would be available by the end of that month. But only a week later, Apple changed its tune, saying the device would not be available until the end of this year. The reason for the delay was as much a mystery then as it is now.
This inexplicable black eye for Apple, of course, is not likely to affect the company's financial performance. Sales of black iPhones are booming. The company sold 14.1 million iPhones in the most recent quarter, a 91 percent surge from a year earlier.
The latest delay was first reported by Reuters.
If the white iPhone indeed arrives in the spring, it is not clear how well it will sell. Apple typically unveils new iPhones in the summer, and many customers may prefer to wait for a new release.