iPhone 3G owners report hairline cracks in their phone's casing
Those tracking the issue in an Apple support discussion thread and elsewhere say the hairline fractures most often appear on the plastic shell near the corners of the device, particularly near the headphone jack, ringer switch, and volume controls.
The flaws appear regardless of how gently the user takes care of the phone and can increase in number, according to multiple claims, although there are no known reports of existing cracks growing in size. At least a few users, however, report cracks deep enough to create a visible opening, particularly at the headphone jack.
Most of those noticing the issue are owners of the white model. Nonetheless, some owners of black editions also report the issue and suggest that it's not a matter of the material used for the color but a more general problem. The black shell simply hides the cracks better, these users suggest.
Apple's own response to the problem has been mixed. The company doesn't yet list the problem as common and has largely left exchanges to its in-store technicians. While some affected owners claim to have received little trouble and a quick replacement, others describe being rejected due to the cosmetic nature of the cracks, which to date haven't resulted in an outright device failure.
Those contacting their carriers aren't necessarily so fortunate: in one case, an Ottawa, Canada resident has been turned back at retail and on the phone by Canadian iPhone provider Rogers Wireless, which said it would have to technically rule the flaws "customer abuse" and charge the full replacement cost of the phone.
Hairline cracks on iPhone 3G. | Image credits: Nevin Styre, Apple support discussions.
In all circumstances, though, these customers express frustration at a device that in a short space of time is already appearing to break down, even if the faults are purely superficial.
"I donât think it is such a big deal but then again, I just got this phone and paid a fortune for it," says one detailed report. "There should not be any problems with it in week one."
109 Comments
Come on Apple! Do the right thing.
I find this picture of the broken headphone port especially interesting. I don't think the owner can claim that the crack just suddenly appeared, the thing looks like it's been run over by a car... the headphone socket isn't even round anymore. So is he blaming Apple? Well, people have been sueing Apple for stranger things that this. It goes with their image of a large quality company in consumer products, there are always people that have complaints. The smaller cracks however are interesting, maybe Apple can come up with an explanation. It could be that extreme pressure has been put on the specific iPhones, that's why they crack around openings in the casing. People do a lot of things with their phones, they sit on them and drop them. You can expecty some damage if you do that. So long as the phone keep working I think that's fine.
The same thing happens to nearly all of Apples plastic products. My Airport Express has cracks all over it. My Macbook has some on the underside and my chargers have them as well. I think my 1st generation shuffle has a couple as well.
I think the cracks are caused by heat. iPhones get hot and so do Macbooks, chargers and Airport Expresses.
Apple just needs to stop making things out of plastic, imho.
I have noticed the same thing. I do have some tiny cracks around the headphone port on my iPhone.
The same thing happens to nearly all of Apples plastic products. My Airport Express has cracks all over it. My Macbook has some on the underside and my chargers have them as well. I think my 1st generation shuffle has a couple as well.
I think the cracks are caused by heat. iPhones get hot and so do Macbooks, chargers and Airport Expresses.
Apple just needs to stop making things out of plastic, imho.
I have also had cracks all over my PowerBook and MacBook chargers, including the plug/adapter attachment. The grey plastic that lines the aluminum on my MacBook and PowerBook also has cracks in, and has even chipped away in some places on the older PowerBook. The plastic seems to go brittle over time, and crack. Though the iPhone hasn't had much time to go brittle, perhaps the plastic is too hard, Apple were trying to stop scratches but causing cracks instead?
Apple just needs to stop making things out of plastic, imho.
For a phone, about the only other option would be ceramic. Metal doesn't pass high frequency RF very well and that's likely the main reason Apple switched to plastic.