iPhone 3G - Cracks in Plastic Housing

I only know two people who have iPhone 3Gs and they both have cracks. But they said they handle theirs pretty roughly so couldn't honestly say which were there originally and which were due to their handling.

I tend to handle my cell phones and other portable devices carefully. So your note is somewhat reassuring. Thanks.

doug

I don't exactly treat mine with kid gloves, but I am fairly careful with it. That being said, though, I usually carry it around in my front pocket. I don't listen to music much with it, so I don't use headphones very often. I have no idea if any of that makes a difference or not.

I really think Apple should end its trip in denial-ville and face the facts.

I've had my white iPhone 3G since the day it was released. This morning I was using it to check my Stocks and felt what I thought as an errant hair on the back of my phone. When I turned it over there's a crack running from the sync cable slot up about an inch. I am sure the crack was not there last night, it is there now. The iPhone has not been dropped - ever - and especially in the last 24 hours. The only thing I can think of is that it's now very cold outside in Detroit. Maybe the temperature change going from my nice warm house out to the cold car might have caused some thermal stress that caused the crack to happen this morning. I'll be making a Genius appointment for tonight to see what they have to say about it.

Here's the thing I just don't get:

Apple finally moved away from the plastic on their Macbooks - going to aluminum. The plastic Macbooks, one they aged a bit, have a tendency to crack and pieces actually fall off!

So Apple has moved away from plastic shells on all their computers ... and yet, here they had a perfectly solid aluminum shell on the generation one iPhone, and in generation 2 ... they change it to plastic!!!!

Why, when everything in their line was moving away from plastic to aluminum (iMac, Macbook) did they go FROM aluminum to plastic on the iPhone! Very baffling indeed.

I still can't understand why Apple have chosen "crappy" plastic over steel - as used i latest iPods MK2 - it looks so much better as well...
BTW; Better 3G reception is just a myth.
... and one more thing...
Isn't it interesting that everything in iPhone/iPod world "rotates" but the KEYBOARD doesn't...
My question is - WHY NOT...?!
And let's not forget about lack of CUT/COPY/PASTE and MMS messaging...
Meantime, we are getting (totally useless) Google "street view" with 2.2 update instead...
What's up Apple..?!

I was at a bounenkai (end of the year party) last night here in Tokyo and of the 9 participants I happen to be the only one without an iPhone. Yes, it was sort of a geeky bounenkai.

So I had a chance to look at everybody's iPhone 3Gs for cracks. Of the 8 iPhone owners, 7 chose black and one chose white. I myself think the white looks better.

Anyway, on the black phones I couldn't detect any crack anywhere - though I did see dents and whatnot on the chrome part from where they dropped their iPhones.

On the white iPhone I maybe saw a crack, but I'm not sure. It was very very small, from the earphone jack to the chrome and it looked perfectly perpendicular to the edge. Because it was so centered to the earphone jack and so perfectly perpendicular, I was thinking maybe it wasn't a crack but an actual seam that is part of the manufacturing.

So my latest question is this: Do all iPhone 3Gs (maybe easier to see on the white ones) have what appears to be a very tiny perpendicular seam or possibly a crack from the earphone jack to the edge?

If so, that's just the way they are made. If not, I saw a bona fide crack.

Thanks,

doug

I have owned a white 16 gig 3g since it first came out. When I purchased it. i noticed a week later that it had a hairline crack next to the camera eye. They replaced it after a bit of encouragement. Since then I purchased a incase sliding cover and invisible shield. I did forum checks and found they were the best. I occasionally take the cover off and clean it. I noticed today that I have a 1 inch hairline crack on the back. on the side or corner of the mold. as well as some smaller ones that look like scratches from sliding the case on and off. It seams to me it is a common defect after searching the apple discussions. I don't think it is a problem or will hurt the phone, but I spent mucho dollars on the phone and the case to protect it and it still has cracks. Not getting my $$'s worth. Should of waited and got a Blackberry Storm. I switched from the solid Blackberry for the Iphone. As much as I love the Iphone. I don't know if it was a good choice. I have not dropped my Iphone once.

I was in line on day one(2.5 Hrs) and returned the 1st 3G(Black) after seeing that it had obvious abrasions on the surface. Waited until 01/01/09 to get a pair of 3G's and both have hairline anomalies. I have known about this issue for quite some time, but I believe that the greatest clue I have seen to this issue was due to a video I saw from BLENDTECH. I noticed that when he blended the iPhone 3G that a thin film with the Apple logo was still intact. This leads me to believe that there is indeed a film of some sort over the harder plastic below. This makes sense to me, because it seems cheaper to apply a glossy film to plastic instead of using highly polished plastic. The glossy film may have a different expansion rate than the underlying plastic therefore causing the hairline cracks in the film. Please note that my theory is based on my expereince with my iPhone 3Gs and the results of the BLENDTECH iPhone 3G video. Please let me know what you think. - ALR

Just thought I would chime in to this discussion. I've had my white iPhone 3G since launch day. While I have never had a case for it I always handle it very carefully. It's never been dropped or handled roughly but I have noticed cracks in it recently. The cracks are in the same places, headphone jack and mute switch. While I would agree that it shouldn't be dropped or thrown around, I do feel that it should be made to withstand normal everyday handling. It is a handheld portable device, after all. It shouldn't be cracking with normal everyday use and I do think that it's a problem that Apple should address. Even if it is just "cosmetic", for as much money as we spent on our phones and plans we shouldn't have to just accept it. That's my two cents.

lol, i had the same problem, went to apple they replaced it cuz i was 1 month into the warranty. i had one of the stupidest genius representative in the world because after giving me a new one, went to go check it and there it was, the same problem cracks, so i complained and got a brand new one. just go into apple with an appointment and tell them that you are within the warranty and want to replace it

I'm sure it is a lot more then a few hundred phones. I have had mine since they first came out and thought I was pretty lucky not to see this issue on my phone. The other day I noticed a small crack near my headphone jack. I'm sure many others have this problem and don't report it here or even belong to this message base.

My otherwise perfect 3g has just started developing cracks all around the volume keys and mute switch.
May I suggest to Neuroanatomist that if you cannot offer solid advice or constructive help to those here who are less fortunate than you that you refrain from acting like a Dick.

All:


FYI

Apple will replace your iPhone if it has cracks and there is no impact/abuse damage visible. These cracks are very different/unique from scrapes received through dropping. My second 3g since the launch (first one replaced for motherboard defect) had a crack appear on the back near the volume up and down. I never noticed any cracking on the first one. Took it to the Genius Bar today and it was replaced on the spot. THANK YOU APPLE. Hopefully the iPhone 3.0 will have a metal back again or at least sturdier plastic. I think Apple is doing the right thing by offering replacements. I also wish they would re-design the back and allow existing users a free or nominal cost retrofit. I mean this is just probably gonna happen again as many have stated. I think Apple should do the right thing and fix this problem for those of us that care and don't want to replace our phones every 3-6 months. After millions of iPhones sold they owe it to us. I will continue to get mine replaced as soon as it happens again. I have saved my receipt from the Genius Bar with the comments.

Hope this helps.

i took my black iphone 3g into the apple store tonight, because i just discovered a large crack on the back of my phone today. mine starts at the base where the charger plugs into the phone. when you run your fingers over the crack, you can feel it - so i'm not sure if this is the same as the other "hairline" cracks people are finding? well needless to say, the guy at the store was a little condescending and suggested that if i didn't put it in my purse, it might not have gotten this pressure on the back therefore prevented the crack. he said my crack is "different" than the others he's seen, that the others are always up by the volume/mute buttons etc. he basically said there was nothing they could do and that i should get a case to protect it.

i have not dropped my phone, and even if it is from pressure through plugging and unplugging it, the phone should not do that. and it should not be NECESSARY to get a $40 case to protect it, if the product is made correctly - a case should be an extra protection or for non-slipping etc, not to prevent thin cracks.

i am not a happy customer tonight with apply and would have appreciated much more consideration. don't we have warranties on the phones for a year? i got mine back in july... i do feel a warranty should cover a replacement for this issue, but how am i supposed to prove that it was not dropped?

i'm not sure what to do.