White iPhone 4 is 0.2mm thicker; Samsung profit drops; Google TV

Initial reports suggest that the long-delayed white iPhone 4 is 0.2mm
thicker than its black counterpart and may not fit all cases. Also, Samsung
revealed Thursday in its quarterly earnings report that its profit dropped
to the company's lowest figure in almost two years. Finally, Logitech
reported disappointing Google TV sales of just $5 million last quarter.

White iPhone 4

After early adopters of Apple's recently released white iPhone 4 reported
noticing an apparent difference in thickness between the black iPhone 4 and
the white version,TiPb conducted measurements of the two devices. The report
found that the white iPhone 4 is roughly 0.2mm thicker than the black model.

Apple lists the depth of both the white iPhone 4 and the black iPhone 4 as
9.3mm, or 0.37 inch. Tests of various cases found that most cases were
unaffected by the difference, though a few "were just a tad tight."

The exact cause of the increase in thickness on the white iPhone 4 remains
unclear, though some have speculated that a new paint mix and UV protection
contribute to the difference. AppleInsider reported earlier this year that
Apple had partnered with a Japanese company to develop a new paint material
for the white iPhone 4.

iPhone 4 width comparison via TiPb

In an interview earlier this week, Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller
explained that a number of reasons, including the need for more protection
from ultraviolet rays from the sun, contributed to the 10-month delay.

Analyst Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities sees Apple selling between 1
to 1.5 million units of the white iPhone 4 each in the June and September
quarters.

Samsung

Samsung saw a 30 percent drop in profit last quarter after phone sales for
the Korean company fell 14 percent year over year to 70 million devices,
Electronista reports.

The electronics giant posted 2.95 trillion won ($2.75 billion) in operating
profit, compared to a consensus forecast of 3.1 trillion won. Samsung also
reported a disappointing quarter in January.

Samsung was hit hardest in its display business, losing $214.85 million and
shipping eight percent fewer LCDs. On the upside, shipments of tablet
displays, many of which are likely bound for Apple's iPad, grew by roughly
30 percent.

With 2010 purchases of $5.68 billion in components, Apple was Samsung's
second biggest customer, behind Sony. In February, a Korean newspaper
claimed that Apple claim the top spot by buying $7.8 billion in parts from
Samsung in 2011.

Apple and Samsung have recently begun a extensive legal battle. Earlier this
month, Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung, accusing the company of
copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad. Samsung has responded with
countersuits (1, 2) in four different countries: Korea, Japan, Germany and
the U.S.

Google TV

Logitech missed its estimate of $18 million in Google TV product and
peripheral sales in the fiscal fourth quarter by over 70 percent with just
$5 million in sales, GigaOMreports. Last quarter, the company reported $22
million in sales of Google TV-related products. To make matters worse,
inventory for the devices rose 28 percent last quarter.

CEO Gerald P. Quindlen told investors Thursday that he remains "enthusiastic
about Google TV," while announcing plans to scale back marketing for the
Revue Google TV set-top box.

Logitech was one of Google's launch partners for the Google TV platform.
However, when the platform was released last November, reviewers criticized
it for being complicated and confusing. Late last year, technology
journalist Walt Mossberg named Google TV his second worst reviewed product
of 2010.

Last December, on the heels of a report that Google TV hardware makers'
plans had been held up by Google, sources from one of Logitech's suppliers
claimed that the company had suspended shipments of the Revue while waiting
for a Google TV update. However, Logitech issued a statement denying that
Google had asked it to halt production of the device.

"Logitech is currently meeting the inventory needs of its retail customers,
continuing to ship products on schedule to meet their holiday and
post-holiday demand," a spokesperson said at the time.

For its part, Apple has seen growing success with its second-generation
Apple TV. In December, the company announced that it had sold 1 million
units of the device, which went on sale in September. According to one
analyst report, total shipments of the device reached 2 million last month.