IGN has word from Nintendo Co. in Japan that the States and Europe will not see the Nintendo DS Lite until after spring has passed, ruling out a simultaneous release; though the company has confirmed its intent to release the new model worldwide.
In addition, Nintendo has indicated that one of the three colors initially available in Japan will indeed be the white color shown in the pictures released this morning. Nintendo also intends to continue producing and selling the original DS design alongside the Lite for at least the foreseeable future.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has also set a goal of 10 million units sold in Japan alone throughout 2006. The totals for 2005 reached 5.7 million units in Japan. Still, with the success it's seen so far, 10 million doesn't seem like too much of a stretch.