Update: More disputed findings have been added to the 2 millimeter white iPhone controversy. I'll just say this is the last time you will hear something about this from us. Photos below: Consumer Reports using a caliper to measure thickness and Engadget's simple test showing the small size difference. In the end this would seem like a manufacturing issue and not an intentional design compromise:
Earlier this week, white iPhone 4 owners discovered that the device is slightly thicker than its black variant. This wasn't really something we thought was worth covering, but now, for whatever reason, Apple is claiming there is no discrepancy.
If this was a new device, it wouldn't be a big deal, but since this is just a white version of the iPhone 4, many expect it to fit in cases designed for the black version of the iPhone 4, which was released 10 month ago. Tipb quantified the difference at roughly 0.2mm: the black iPhone 4 is 9.3mm while the white iPhone 4 is 9.5mm. Apple's iPhone 4 Technical Specifications webpage lists 9.3mm as the depth for both. It's unknown whether the extra thickness has to do with opacity, a layer of UV protection, or something else entirely.
9to5Mac reader Ernesto Barron recently asked Apple Senior Vice President of Product Marketing Phil Schiller on Twitter if the news was true. Schiller responded to Barron via a Twitter direct message: "It is not thicker, don't believe all the junk that you read."
It's not clear why Schiller decided to answer through a direct message or why he is blatantly lying to Barron. It certainly would not be the first time Apple has tried to convince its customers and the general public of something that is completely false. Just last month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs decided to deny that Apple's 3G devices regularly record your position. Apple eventually ended up having to come clean on the details, but Jobs' original statement is still false.