3G - Cracks in Plastic Housing

[whooleytoo]

If it's a known defect, Apple must exchange it.

Not necessarily - it depends on the nature of the defect.

For something like this, I really can't see them offering refunds/exchanges unless the cracks get far, far worse and weaken the integrity of the case.

I actually think if the device had more cracks it'd look cool - like an ivory backed iPhone!

 

[xgman]

I agree it's useful as a comparison point, but I think the conclusion you reach is flawed. The choice of plastic back was made to increase reception, not because Apple was careless or cheap. More cracks is the apparent tradeoff for this increased reception, much like decreased battery life is the tradeoff for 3G.

This is true, but personally I think it was a horrible design choice. So far it is proving to be a shinny smuge magnet and apparently a crack magnet as well. There are so many better non metal finishes they could have gone with.

 

[bigmouth]

I say less care overall because of the other complaints coming from 3G owners.

If you mean stuff besides the cracks (e.g., the crooked ringer switches, light leaks, etc.) that's a very fair point.

This is true, but personally I think it was a horrible design choice. So far it is proving to be a shinny smuge magnet and apparently a crack magnet as well. There are so many better non metal finishes they could have gone with.

True -- I would have preferred a rubberized plastic back like the Tilt.

 

[xgman]

Not necessarily - it depends on the nature of the defect.

For something like this, I really can't see them offering refunds/exchanges unless the cracks get far, far worse and weaken the integrity of the case.

I actually think if the device had more cracks it'd look cool - like an ivory backed iPhone!

It is probably only a matter of hours or days before those hairline cracks that appear around the thin points like the headphone plug and other narrow edges actually break through as is seen on some of the pics in this thread. Remember it has only been a few weeks. fast forward 6 months and I would think things could look a lot worse.

 

[.:R2theT]

I agree it's useful as a comparison point, but I think the conclusion you reach is flawed. The choice of plastic back was made to increase reception, not because Apple was careless or cheap. More cracks is the apparent tradeoff for this increased reception, much like decreased battery life is the tradeoff for 3G.

Or your conclusion is flawed. Apple seems to be in a real rush to get things to market, consumer be damned. If they had had the type of prototype testing with the 3G that they had with 1rst gen. would we be having this conversation? I agree that Apple went with the plastic to improve reception, even though I thought they were trying to phase out these types of materials from their products by the end of 2008, but was as much time put into testing the phones with this new material? I think the correct conclusion is that Apple's products and services are moving forward faster that their own quality control can keep. Caveat emptor!

 

[Ferris23]

nm

 

[bigmouth]

Or your conclusion is flawed. Apple seems to be in a real rush to get things to market, consumer be damned. If they had had the type of prototype testing with the 3G that they had with 1rst gen. would we be having this conversation? I agree that Apple went with the plastic to improve reception, even though I thought they were trying to phase out these types of materials from their products by the end of 2008, but was as much time put into testing the phones with this new material. I think the correct conclusion is that Apple's products and services are moving forward faster that their own quality control can keep. Caveat emptor!

Point well taken, especially given the other flaws I mentioned. Still, I love my iPhone 3G!

 

[andyblila]

There is NO SOLUTION. The phone was made with substandard materials thats all there is to it. No need to get scientific about brittle plastic. MY original has some plastic at the bottom and it is NOT cracked at all. Why is that? Why didn't Apple use this same material? The only solution is for Apple to recall and or offer replacements with new material. If the 3G is showing cracks this early out then you can imagine what every 3G will experience when more time passes and people start dropping the phones onto hard surfaces. This problem can only get worse so at this point it makes good sense to hope for a change from Apple.

X-

That may be, but it is still no excuse for first gen owners to point out "how stupid" 3G owners are and how happy they are with their phones. Got it. Drop it.

 

[Cadium]

I have owned an iPhone 3G (8 GB, Black) since launch day and have used it extensively every day, and I have not encountered a single scratch or crack on any part of the device.

 

[andyblila]

Except that you can't yet claim all of them have this issue. The other thread in this very forum has had almost 100 people provide feedback and at this point 82% don't have cracks.

Correct which goes back to the theory that this may just be a bad batch. Apparently our discussion about this is making 1st gen owners upset.

 

[andyblila]

ok, cool it. that was a tongue in cheek response to an angry poster who's world is apparently falling apart.

of course I hate to see this happening. of course i do. but getting all worked up over people who are simply pointing out that aluminum > plastic is a little silly.

This is why I have a MBP, and not a MB, and why Apple is supposedly dumping plastic cases from that line this fall.

First of all, I'm not sure who you think you are? You don't own me. You cool it. This is a Craking 3G iPhone forum. You don't own one and have mae not one substantial post. I'm tired of reading posts by first gen owners that have nothing of value to add.

 

[Alexander]

Hmm, white one here, no case, I drop it all the time, it has all sorts of abrasions because of that, but no cracks.

I hypothesize that the dropping reinforces the structural integrity of the plastic.

 

[ajohnson253]

I plan on purchasing one I want the white to match the white macbook but I dont want mine to crackkkkkk on me aaahhhhhhhhh

 

[hommy]

Can we just rename this thing iFail and be done with?

I have a 16GB black, and after exchanging 2 of them for battery issues, I now have to worry about cracks? What a joke. Ever since the MacBook Pro came out, Apple's quality has failed on every level. It's as bad as I've ever seen in 10+ years of using Apple products.

 

[SheepNutz]

I have a 16GB Black with a 1cm long crack on the left side, and I just scuffed up the plastic a little toward the top by accident today. Do you guys think apple will replace it due to the crack even though it has scuff marks?

 

[andyblila]

Not necessarily - it depends on the nature of the defect.

For something like this, I really can't see them offering refunds/exchanges unless the cracks get far, far worse and weaken the integrity of the case.

I actually think if the device had more cracks it'd look cool - like an ivory backed iPhone!

There is an earlier post where the guy had to use duct tape to hold the phone together. I am sure that is an extreme example, but i'd say that the integrity of his case, at least, was compromised.

 

[Hey Jude]

Mea culpa

We are here to discuss and help eachother. Not to poke fun at people who have a problem and are looking for a solution or support.

Even though I posted about how much I am enjoying my v1 iPhone, I was not being mean-spirited and simply responded to another poster who noted that the people who held onto their original iPhones would jump at the opportunity to exchange it for a 3G for the right price.

For me, there is no "right price" for a 3G, but because I cannot of any help in this thread, I will respectfully depart and extend my best sympathy to those who are experiencing problems with their phones and hope that Apple will do the right thing and replace the crack units.

Jude

 

[myAIR]

3G Cracks in Plastic Housing

Are we asking for a new iPhone already?
I don't have any cracks yet, but this forum has me checking everytime I use my iPhone and being very delicate.

 

[paenguin]

those are nasty bruises. poor QC IMO.

 

[jerseiko]

Still haven't seen anyone with a Week 30 3G iphone complain about cracks. That gives me hope.

 

[voicegy]

Not Smug, just Disappointed

I love the 1st gen Iphone owners coming in here and making themselves feel better about their phone. Hey guys, guess what. Apple will resolve the issue, those who have cracked phones will get new ones, and you will still be left with your phased out pokey phone. Hey, but at least it's aluminum.



Sorry, had to.

I mean really, people need to relax. Yeah it sucks that some people have this problem but it wouldn't be the first time a new product has issues. 6 months from now this will be old news and the Iphone 3g will still be a monster of a success. So relax, you are in good hands IMO.

I only mentioned I was glad I stuck with my original iPhone because I saw someone in here trash other folks who made the statement. I wouldn't just "jump in" and thumb my nose at my fellow Apple enthusiasts for the sheer annoyance factor - that post that I replied to deserved a response.

Believe me, I would have jumped at the 3G but I was first dismayed by the higher cost of service to 3G that I would have had to absorb in my monthly billing with AT&T. Granted, 3G costs more for every 3G user, I understand that, but I was just happy enough with EDGE not to justify the extra 15 bucks a month (10 bucks for 3G AND 5 bucks instead of FREE texting.)

Since then, I have watched the iPhone 3G rollout with great interest and have been astonished at the amount of issues with this iPhone - granted, not ALL iPhone 3G users are experiencing the same things, but there's enough out there to give me the willies:

1. The bothersome need and wait time to activate "in house," instead of just going home after purchase. This was a BREEZE with the original iPhone.
2. Worldwide, folks are complaining about 3G reception and dropped calls.
3. "Cracks" are appearing on the phone casing.
4. The 3G iPhone is NOT compatible with some charging units as the old iPhone was. For example, if you have an in-car unit that plays the iPod section of the old iPhone, it charged the iPhone as well. So did Apple's own HiFi device. The new iPhone does not charge on these devices anymore! A company called Ridax is scrambling to push an adaptor out there in the next few months.

What a pain this all is - so there is no "smugness" on my part per se, more a disappointment. I would be a 3G user if it weren't for my giving great pause to the above issues, and I'll just quietly wait until iPhone 3G ver. 2 comes out.

 

[dmel75]

Still haven't seen anyone with a Week 30 3G iphone complain about cracks. That gives me hope.

No doubt man! I have a week 30 MB499LL as well and I'm holding out hope that it's' not going to crack. I love the 3G, despite 2.0 bugs and so-so battery life I'm very happy with it. The only downside to this whole issue is NOT knowing what causes the cracks. It causes everyone who hears about it that owns a 3G to suddenly start believing their shiny new 3G is encased in a fragile eggshell. I'm sure Apple is aware of the issue but based on their secretive nature, we may never know what causes it. I think it would be nice to hear from them what the root cause is so those of us who are or are not affected can do something about it. Therein lies the answer for me, if Apple knew for sure what was happening I think they would issue some type of statement to the Apple Stores about it. Does silence from Apple mean they don't know, don't care or don't care to tell?

 

[ramuman]

I have a few very fine cracks above the headphone jack between the chrome of the jack and the bezel. This is on an 8GB iPhone. As of last night I thought my casing was perfect.

I have a feeling it's a lot more than an isolated incident. I wouldn't have noticed the crack without looking for it at that spot. The black phones must just hide them better.

 

[Ferris23]

I only mentioned I was glad I stuck with my original iPhone because I saw someone in here trash other folks who made the statement. I wouldn't just "jump in" and thumb my nose at my fellow Apple enthusiasts for the sheer annoyance factor - that post that I replied to deserved a response.

Believe me, I would have jumped at the 3G but I was first dismayed by the higher cost of service to 3G that I would have had to absorb in my monthly billing with AT&T. Granted, 3G costs more for every 3G user, I understand that, but I was just happy enough with EDGE not to justify the extra 15 bucks a month (10 bucks for 3G AND 5 bucks instead of FREE texting.)

Since then, I have watched the iPhone 3G rollout with great interest and have been astonished at the amount of issues with this iPhone - granted, not ALL iPhone 3G users are experiencing the same things, but there's enough out there to give me the willies:

1. The bothersome need and wait time to activate "in house," instead of just going home after purchase. This was a BREEZE with the original iPhone.
2. Worldwide, folks are complaining about 3G reception and dropped calls.
3. "Cracks" are appearing on the phone casing.
4. The 3G iPhone is NOT compatible with some charging units as the old iPhone was. For example, if you have an in-car unit that plays the iPod section of the old iPhone, it charged the iPhone as well. So did Apple's own HiFi device. The new iPhone does not charge on these devices anymore! A company called Ridax is scrambling to push an adaptor out there in the next few months.

What a pain this all is - so there is no "smugness" on my part per se, more a disappointment. I would be a 3G user if it weren't for my giving great pause to the above issues, and I'll just quietly wait until iPhone 3G ver. 2 comes out.

I think what you are forgetting is that not all users have these problem. Again, one bad apple spoils the bunch. Sure it is more than one bad apple, but there are plenty of thrilled 3G owners, including myself. I'm sure I could dig up a lot of crap about the first phone too.

To each his own I guess, I'm glad I got the 3G instead of buying my buddies first Iphone while I was getting impatient waiting. Which I literally almost did a week before 3G came out.

 

[MichaelLind116]

Hi All,

Read a few posts about cracks already start to appear on the edge of the housing. The phone is only a week old (obviously) and was not dropped or pressed. Is it common?

I have the black 3G iPhone and I have my phone in a case. I recently noticed that I have small cracks on the back of my phone and I have never dropped my phone. Apple should be ashame of themselves for offering such a horrible product and also I drop at least 3 calls a day now on the AT&T 3G network.