3G - Cracks in Plastic Housing

Hutch1 said:
The pigments are either in the raw plastic or the resins they just don't make molds then dye the product coming out. So the raw black material could come from a supplier in India and the raw white material could come from China, or they could come from the same plant, the composition of the batches even if made in the same plant could also be different. So your comment about not seeing how it could only effect one color is wrong, it could effect one color or both, or just a batch of one and not the other. The whites could be made with different mold, and have different dimensional tolerances than the blacks which could cause stresses during manufacture that causes the cases to crack. Until apple gets a good sample back and analysis what is causing the problem all these senarios are just speculation.
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Nice to see comments from someone who seems to know a thing or two about plastics and manufacturing. Thanks!
 
slicecom said:
:confused: I'm pretty sure that's what the phone was designed for, not to be put in an ugly case. If it was designed to be put in a case, Apple would have provided one with it.
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For the most part I agree with you, but we all know Apple.....nothing for free. I think that we will find out that this is the result of a bad batch (I hope). If this is the sign of what's to come, they are going to have alot of returns and lose alot of money. With all of the plastic phones out there, I have to believe that this is the result of a bad batch. I go back to that PC World video and see that it is in fact fairly sturdy. :confused:
 
i want a 1G (first gen) iphone now. I don't need 3g or want to pay for the outrageous rogers plans. apple is starting to piss me off. how do they even get away with stuff like this? if dell released a laptop or monitor that started to fall apart, everyone would be laughing. now apple releases untested products out into the wild and people just say "owell, applecare will take care of it. you gotta love apple!" isn't it sad that we practically rely on applecare these days and expect replacements?
 
cases = dumb

Anyone who suggests that the problems are caused by not keeping the phone in a case is a tool. This is supposed to be a finished product, not a breadboard or an electronics kit for which you must buy your own case. And it's a PORTABLE PHONE, no less, which is supposed to withstand the rigors of being carried around. In ANY pocket.

If you think this thing requires a case, why on earth did you buy it? Have you no self respect? People who don't stand up for themselves and DEMAND HIGH QUALITY are to blame for the continual decline of quality in everything we buy.

With the exception of the inexcusable and embarrassing headphone jack, the physical quality of the first-gen iPhone is outstanding. The choice of glass for the screen eliminated a primary problem with non-clamshell phones: scratched-up screens. Don't put film on your iPhone screen! It's glass for a reason!

Like the headphone jack, this cracking issue looks like the result of poor or nonexistent testing. It's hard to imagine how either of these problems made it out the door.
 
FrancisSawyer said:
Anyone who suggests that the problems are caused by not keeping the phone in a case is a tool. This is supposed to be a finished product, not a breadboard or an electronics kit for which you must buy your own case. And it's a PORTABLE PHONE, no less, which is supposed to withstand the rigors of being carried around. In ANY pocket.

If you think this thing requires a case, why on earth did you buy it? Have you no self respect? People who don't stand up for themselves and DEMAND HIGH QUALITY are to blame for the continual decline of quality in everything we buy.

With the exception of the inexcusable and embarrassing headphone jack, the physical quality of the first-gen iPhone is outstanding. The choice of glass for the screen eliminated a primary problem with non-clamshell phones: scratched-up screens. Don't put film on your iPhone screen! It's glass for a reason!

Like the headphone jack, this cracking issue looks like the result of poor or nonexistent testing. It's hard to imagine how either of these problems made it out the door.
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agreed 100%. it's like buying macbook pros only to have to buy a cooling pad to keep it at acceptable temperatures or something. accessories are for augmenting a products functionality. people shouldn't buy accessories to prevent products from falling apart or to keep them working properly in the first place.
 
Apple Build Quality© strikes again :rolleyes:

Glad I stuck with my first generation 4GB iPhone. This plus the screen issues and increased service fees, plus the fact that 3G coverage is spotty here in SoCal, means I'll be sticking with my first generation iPhone for a very long time.
 
:( I have an 8GB black and I checked it, but didn't find any. After looking at a lot more of the picture, I decided to look VERY closely under good light. Sure enough, I saw a crack by the headphone port. So the cracks are existent on black models, but hard to see. I'll post pictures tomorrow, but I have no idea if you'll be able to see the cracks. For the record, mine has not been dropped and has been in a case since the minute I walked out of the store on Day 1. I'm not going to lie, this kinda ruined my day :(
 
I possibly found a crack on my black iPhone - hard to see and only with the right light, but it seems to be a crack.
 

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Fortunately I don't have any visible cracks as of yet on my white iPhone even though I haven't been babying it like many people have. I expect that to change though.

However, I did notice something remarkable the other day when I was surfing the net on the phone. If you are in a darkened environment and flip the phone over on a surface that covers the screen while the backlight is on, you'll see the light permeate through the back cover and it looks incredibly thin. After seeing it I'm surprised we haven't seen more cracking especially around the headphone jack.
 
FWIW-Got myself a day 1 white 3G, part #MB705LL/A, no cracks :)

If I do get a crack I'll attempt to return it. If Apple says no I'll just put a microscopic dab of super glue on the crack to sort of keep it from getting worse.
 
It's just like what happens to the mighty mouse; well, my mighty mouse at least. The plastic looks very similar and because you always touch it dirt gets into the cracks and makes them look bigger than they actually are, especially on the white ones. Although there are also a few TINY cracks on the bottom side of my white macbook.
Not so good. :(
 
FrancisSawyer said:
If you think this thing requires a case, why on earth did you buy it? Have you no self respect?
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Not so arrogant my friend. This has nothing to do with self respect. I bought a sleeve for cosmetic purposes (mine is incredibly cool :D) and to keep dust and other stuff out of the ports, and many other people do so too. Just as many other people I treat my gadgets very well and that results in a scratch free and immaculate gadgets (even after many years of use) with better resale value than one that has been flying around a bag with power supplies, pens and keys for years.
 
Geschan said:
I possibly found a crack on my black iPhone - hard to see and only with the right light, but it seems to be a crack.
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I really wouldnt use your phone as a test bed being that you have scratches all over it. You dont take the best care of it.
 
Black with crack

I hate you all!! I didn't have a clue about this until this thread. I have a 16gb black and have had one since launch. Got replaced due to battery fault 4 days ago and looking really really closely...and I mean really closely there is a crack right near the headphone jack. Mine is naked apart from anti glare film (which I love).
I haven't yet dropped the phone (matter of time really), but I do use the headphones a lot! and I think the taking the phones in and out has caused this minor damage. It doesn't bother me yet, but if it gets bigger and more of them show up then we will have a problem.
 
Fonzijr1964 said:
sounds like macbooks all over again
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My thoughts exactly. It looks pretty much like the problem with white macbooks and cracks caused by stress, where the white pieces touch the palmrest area when the laptop is closed. It starts by tiny lines like the ones i've seen here, then they start to grow bigger and bigger, until they become completely detach and a whole piece of plastic falls apart.

It looks like maybe the protective coating of the white plastic (the thing that makes it reflective rather than opaque)

This is bad. In spain, Movistar (network..), refuses to exchange defective iphones. You have to call apple, get your iphone picked up, sent to Amsterdam, then analysed, replaced, and sent back to you; all while you're left without a phone for a week.
 
andyblila said:
I'm gonna have to say this is a bad batch or misuse, like carrying in a pocket naked. It's a plastic phone. 1st gen spoiled you. Take it easy.
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oh please.. phones have been made of plastic for decades and i don't think any has had this cracking issues within a few days of purchase.

Apple does this kind of thing. My old white macbook's case started to show the staining defect within 20 days of purchase. After 2 case replacement, I had the cracking issue; got it replaced again and exactly 3 months later the case cracked again.
 
I'm not sure how you folks can claim bad batch or otherwise really. Apple's own macbook's also are known to crack! Are they made from the same plastic from the same supplier? I'm not sure. Something to think about.
 
I have a black 16gb. No discernable cracks, but I am not assuming they aren't there. I think an x-ray would be interesting to see.

I think this is happening because Apple is not content to use the same old plastics other manufacturers use. This plastic is particularly hard and glossy. I think the cracks are a result of the stress of pressure fitting the phone's housing together. The light leak issues would also point to this. If the plastic is particulary rigid, it won't be very forgiving in terms of fit.
 
The REFURBS are coming!

These returns for cracks and other minor/major defects will signal the beginning of the REFURBS!
Look for these to hit the market in 30-60 days at a $50 discount.
I hope Apple sells them online as AT&T does.
 
sooo budget!

It's funny because nobody wanted to hear how apple's build quality on the 3g was sub-par. IT IS A BUDGET MODEL. What do you expect when they cheapened it up as much as they did? I still have my original to compare to with two of my friends 3G models (one blk one white) and the quality is quite different. Wait for the "pro" model which will be coming sooner than you think!


X-
 
On the blacks try some really fine white flower on your fingers and rub it around, don't dust it though. You might find the cracks that way.
 
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