Looks like the iPhone is getting a new color – first black, then white, and now gold? The folks over at Techcrunch say so:
Yes, there will be a gold iPhone.
That’s the latest I’m hearing from multiple sources after several weeks of rumors and possible component leaks suggesting the same thing. At first, I couldn’t believe Apple would break from the tradition of offering the simple choice: black and white (or “slate” and “silver” if you prefer for the iPhone 5) for their flagship device. Gold simply seemed too gaudy, perhaps even tacky. But a few compelling arguments countered my disbelief. And now, upon checking, sure enough, there will be gold.
On Friday, Rene Ritchie of iMore, made the most compelling argument for the golden iPhone yet. After hearing from his own sources that the gold iPhone seemed to be real, Ritchie checked with his colleague Ally Kazmucha, who noted that gold would be one of the “easiest colors to anodize onto an iPhone”. Much easier than say, black (which is likely why the current black iPhone 5 has more of a “slate” back color).
It will be interesting to see if this trend of new colors continues as the iPhone evolves. The article goes on to talk about the rumored iPhone 5C and iPhone 5s:
Finally, I think one more reason why we’re seeing this golden iPhone now may be related to the rumored “iPhone 5C” device — that is, the lower-cost iPhone. While I have no concrete information about that device, there seems to be way too much smoke around it both existing and launching in several colors, for there not to be fire.
(I also wonder if the recent push by Apple to sell more iPhones from their own Apple Stores has to do with the strategy for the iPhone 5C roll-out.)
On his The Talk Show podcast this past week, John Gruber and I talked a bit about how Apple might differentiate the rumored iPhone 5S from the rumored iPhone 5C. Beyond speed and price, color seems likely to be a key differentiator. It’s entirely possible that Apple decided to keep the focus on white and black (again, silver and slate) for the high-end model, while choosing more playful colors for the lower end. But some people, bored of black and white, may have opted for the 5C simply to add some color to their iLives. So the gold iPhone 5S (with a white front plate, one would assume) would seem to be a decent compromise in that scenario.
We’ll keep you posted as we learn more stuff. We’re always excited when new Apple products are concerned . . .