iPhone 3G - Cracks in Plastic Housing

I have the same issue. Waited 6 hours in line for a black 3G 16 gig. First one had no vibration - now the one I have has cracks near the headphone jack and the bottom corner. I posted pics on macrumors. I went to the Apple store and the "Geniuses" said they looked like scratches and that they would document it in case they get bigger. Thanks once again Apple.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f226/jtg1981/Stuff022-1.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f226/jtg1981/Stuff012.jpg

have two 3g I phones (bought on two seperate days ( I checked seral # different factories,same week) one 8g, one 16g -black) 8g has two scratches/cracks one running from the volume button to the crome and one running from the silence button to the crome (very tiny -have to hold up to the light to see) 16g is flawless. However ,the 8g is past the two week limit for return, what do you suggest I do, take to the genius bar ,or not?

Message was edited by: lily I phone

Jong81 wrote:
I have the same issue. Waited 6 hours in line for a black 3G 16 gig. First one had no vibration - now the one I have has cracks near the headphone jack and the bottom corner. I posted pics on macrumors. I went to the Apple store and the "Geniuses" said they looked like scratches and that they would document it in case they get bigger. Thanks once again Apple.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f226/jtg1981/Stuff022-1.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f226/jtg1981/Stuff012.jpg

They look like scratches to me. Sorry 😟

The places indicated by your arrows are the same places that have been reported by quite a few people on this thread and Mac Forums. I've seen several pictures with cracks in the same places. If I were you, I'd research the forum and print out the pictures and the posts that say that Apple replaced the phones.

No - it may look like that from the photo, but I haven't done anything to scratch it that deep and when you move it around in the sunlight, you actually see that the plastic is uneven. Scratches wouldn't cause the light to reflect separately as if on two different surfaces in a bend. Only cracks where the plastic is separating could do that.

I'm almost afraid to replace it right now for fear of getting something worse. I've heard of people having to replace quite a few already. My friend, who was standing in line with me - his has light leaking out the side of the touch screen and it overheats and the battery dies. He has to replace his too.

Here's an update folks... the new iPhone 3G I was given as a replacement on Sunday, August 3rd to my original phone that had developed cracks in the casing has now itself started to crack... yes, that's right, I found a crack near the volumn rocker switch today. I took it back to the original genius at the SF store and he pulled out another new one, it already had cracks right out of the box, he pulled out a 2nd, and a 3rd... both had cracks in different places... it wasn't until he pulled a 4th out that we found one with NO cracks. Now I'm home, its all set up and we'll see after the next couple days if this one develops cracks. This is a major major issue that I don't think too many people are aware about, simply because most of those still standing in lines to get the 3G iPhone don't watch macrumors.com or the discussions on here. Spread the word folks or nothing will be done about this.

Jong81 wrote:
No - it may look like that from the photo, but I haven't done anything to scratch it that deep and when you move it around in the sunlight, you actually see that the plastic is uneven. Scratches wouldn't cause the light to reflect separately as if on two different surfaces in a bend. Only cracks where the plastic is separating could do that.

Sure it would, but then again you might be right that it is a "crack" but not in the plastic....the crack would be in the polymer finish that goes over the plastic (which gives it a shine). The plastic is made "black" when it's molded, but layer by layer the add different parts to it. The top coat (or "clear coat") is what gives the iPhone that vibrant shine, but it can/will show miniscule cracks as it dries. If you've ever seen clearcoat on a car hood, which is similar but not exact, it can develop "cracks" too. Unfortunately, these devices are so small that it's impossible to inspect every single one coming off of an assembly line (otherwise your phone would be 3-4x as much).

I took a look at my iPhone and noticed clearcoat cracks all around the camera in a star-like array that radiates around the lens frame.

In regard to your phone, at glance, I'd think they were scratches; however, I would guess it to be cracks in the clearcoat and not the plastic. The polycarbonate plastic Apple uses for these phones is pretty tough so if it cracked, it would be an actual "cracked" case, not surface blemishes. I know this b/c I used to work at a company that made small electronic devices and they used a similar process to what Apple is using for the iPhone.

If Apple documented it for you, then there's not much else to do but just use and be happy w/ your phone. If it were me and I were sure it wasn't something I did to it, then I'd take it in and ask for either a replacement or have it documented.

Personally, I'm beginning to think that the majority of these self-cracking iPhone claims are erroneous, or downright bogus. I've seen enough iPhones (yeah, explain this one to me...$500 cell phone!) and iPods in peoples' back pockets at my campus to know that people have a tendency to sit on them.

If I were to offer any advice, I'd say that getting things documented is a lot better (and far easier) than getting them replaced, and certainly a lot less stressful. If you have a warranty (or AppleCare), give Apple the benefit of the doubt that they'll fix it if there's an issue with the phone. If you don't agree with the Genius at the store, ask for a second opinion or the store manager--*their job is to make sure you are a happy customer and satisfied with the service you are receiving.*

Enjoy your iPhone.

Message was edited by: Juan Guapo

Wow Juan,

Your experience is really amazing... You must really like your iPhone 3G 🙂 I have been using Apple machines since my first iMac Lime Green in 1998 and really loved them all. I can also see myself doing the same thing you did, e.g. making multiple trips and waiting in line for long hours to get it right! 😉

You are very lucky find an Apple store with such excellent service. Not so lucky for some other guys, based on the experiences of some reported here... Hopefully, my iPhone 3G is a good set when it comes.

Cheers!

wolverine2 wrote:
Wow Juan,

Your experience is really amazing... You must really like your iPhone 3G 🙂 I have been using Apple machines since my first iMac Lime Green in 1998 and really loved them all. I can also see myself doing the same thing you did, e.g. making multiple trips and waiting in line for long hours to get it right! 😉

Si Si, I love my iPhone...it "completes me" so to speak. hehe. I was telling a friend the other day that buying my iPhone is a lot like buying my first truck...in other words, you never knew how you got along w/out it in the first place. The whole idea of having unlimited high-speed internet on my phone is just unreal--it wasn't what made me get the phone, though. My fiance saw the iPhone wanted the Internet, but it was the GPS that sold me instantly.

The only time I waited +in line+ was at launch. On my second trip, there was no line in the store (just outside for the iPhone). When I walked in, they asked how they could help me, and I said I had a return. Each time I've gone in, I've spoken to either the assistant or store manager, and gotten great service. I think some people are shy about asking for the manager, so the first person they speak to is often the last one.

Trust me, I did my fair share of waiting 'in' the store while they were fixing my problem.

You are very lucky find an Apple store with such excellent service. Not so lucky for some other guys, based on the experiences of some reported here... Hopefully, my iPhone 3G is a good set when it comes.

You'll be fine. It's a solid little thing... If you're still unsure, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkXlriABfOo

(I cringed when the guy drops it in the bowl of cereal....ugh!)

There should be a recall on the iPhone 3G.

I agree with you there on the service thing. I've never had an issue where they didn't do what was necessary to rectify the problem.

However, as one who has experienced the "unexplained" cracking phenomenon, I can vouch for its existence. Sure, there are probably a few people out there who dropped/scratched/nicked their phones and are cashing in on the problem. However, I'm convinced that most people are genuinely getting their hands on phones with defective plastic.

The thing I've noticed about this "plastic" is that it doesn't really resemble a plastic at all. If you look at the consistency of the plastic, the roughness, and the way the edges on the plastic run, it tends to fall more in line with this mysterious "ceramic" that Apple filed a patent for a few months ago. The interesting thing to note about the cracking that occurs is that it even resembles the appearance of a piece of pottery with ceramic/lacquer crackle finish. Which would stand to reason given the material used and the multi-coat process you explained in an earlier post.

This would also make sense as to why some people have come up with a heating/cooling explanation for the cracking. Could be that extreme changes in temperatures are causing the material to further weaken around its weakest/thinnest points. I know that mine stays mounted in front of one of my vents in the car, and I ride with max A/C, then jump out in the outside heat and stick the phone directly into my pocket. So it could be the semi-rapid expanding and contracting of this new ceramic polymer that is causing the stress fractures to occur.

All of that said, it's my personal opinion that it was probably just a badly applied batch of said polymer and not a problem with the polymer itself.

Update previous post - I brought my 8g (two hairline cracks) to the apple store this morning and I had no problem once so ever returning -- We were in and out in ten minutes, genius bar was very helpful. It was over two weeks so we took a "new" phone (but he said it was way to early in the product life to be refurbish) Everything is fine now and I was happy it was hassle free. My 16g black is crack free (knock on wood) and its the only a few day younger then the 8g.

Well another strange difference between this and the first phone I had (with no vibration) is that there are little like "nipples" (can't think of a better word right now) poking out of the piano black finish that you can also only see in the sun in certain areas of the phone (which remind me of paint on ceramic if it is cooled incorrectly).

I would agree with you that it's just in the coating as you mentioned, except that when I shine an LED light into the headphone jack, You can see the crack through, because the plastic or whatever - it is sort of transparent too. I could have pushed for an exchange and they would've given it to me, but like you said, I have a year warranty, so if they get bigger I'm covered. There's no point in getting something that's worse. When I got the Nano (3rd Gen), I had to exchange 4 because of dead pixels, chipped paint (out of box), crooked screens. My friend just got an iMac and there is debris trapped under the glass in the screen. A few months ago, I bought my mate a $2000 MacBook and it had dead pixels and now the plastic on the side is starting to warp outward. I mean, these aren't isolated incidents. I would give Apple the benefit of the doubt if I hadn't experienced so many issues with their quality control. I mean, come on - after waiting six hours in line, out of all the iPhones I get - it's the one with a broken vibration motor? And now the cracking? They're slacking dude. I've never witnessed such strange defects with electronics before.

I am going to enjoy my iPhone WITH its two minor cracks, because I don't want to deal with anything else. I just think Apple should at least acknowledge the issue.

I know there are some people that vehemently defend Apple like they're being personally injured, but they've been dropping the ball. Rome fell - so can Apple if they don't watch out.

By the way, I have my iPhone in a Sena Ultra Slim case - it stays in my front left pocket and I usually walk around holding that pocket with my hand out of habit. It hasn't even touched a hard surface. At night, it sleeps on the cleaning cloth it came with - and I'm sure the rest of these anal retentive people are the same way, so I doubt there are massive amounts of people dropping it in the first 2 or 3 weeks.

Add me to the list of cracks... I have one I can feel with my fingernail in the same spot as one of the pictures, down to the angle of exit from the circle of the headphone port...Funny thing is I "never" used the headphones...

I am going to exchange it asap. I have been very careful with the phone and it is clearly a manufacturing defect, although I worry about hearing others say some techs try to blame it on them.

I am hopeful apple will do the right thing here.