What Happened to the White iPhone 4?

Though Apple offers its new iPhone 4 in both black and white, the company is currently accepting pre-orders for the black model only. According to the Apple Store, the white iPhone 4 is “currently unavailable for pre-order or in-store pickup.” On the AT&T (T) Web site, the white iPhone 4 is listed as “coming soon.”

Why? And when will folks who prefer the white version be able to buy it?

Reached for comment, Apple (AAPL) didn’t provide much of an answer to either question. “There is tremendous excitement for the new iPhone 4 and we are working to get as many of them into the hands of customers as possible,” a spokesperson told me. “At launch, we have the black models available for purchase and we will be adding the white models as quickly as we can.”

Presumably, then, Apple has run into some sort of production problem with the white iPhone 4, enough of one that it’s not willing to specify an availability date. Note that the company says it will have only black models available at launch, suggesting white models may not be available when the device officially goes on sale June 24.