Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

3G - Cracks in Plastic Housing

cracks and flakes

My white 3G is cracked badly. One piece even flaked off. There are cracks all across the top, as well as by the volume button. I took high resolution pictures and tweaked the contrast in Photoshop, and even more show up that are not easily seen by the naked eye. Big problem, especially since mine went beyond hairline cracks to actually flaking off.
 

Attachments

  • c1.jpg
    c1.jpg
    38.3 KB · Views: 349
  • c3.jpg
    c3.jpg
    27.9 KB · Views: 1,918
cracks

I posted mine with photos above. FYI, never dropped or "sat" on. Serial #:
888285MV1R4
Model: MB499LL
 
I have a week 30 white, no cracks thus far.

However, I do have a piece of dust under the screen. I am thinking about living with it as the rest of the phone is perfect and I would hate to end up with something even more problematic.
 
distortedloop said:
Not the one you asked but my phone is 888281xxxxxx, MB499LL, it's cracked near the mute switch.

I will try to find via Google, but does anyone know a link to how Apple's serial numbers break down?
Click to expand...

I have 88828S . I've had it since launch day. No cracks. I can't figure this one out. Unless the S in mine and the 1 in yours indicates something? Maybe batch #?:confused:
 
prospereagle92 said:
ok i think that if you have a week 28 you are pretty much screwed.:eek:
Click to expand...

No, I think it's the factory or whatever the 88 represents. If you go thru the posts here and on the Apple site, that seems to be the link. People with problems seem to have different weeks, but the #888 seems to be the most common, I think. I heard that 88 represented the factory and the 3rd 8 was the year, of course, and then the week: 28, 29, 30, etc. Anyway, I haven't noticed any "cracks" in my black phone, but I think they would be hard to see on a black one, unless it is really obvious.
 
sandylp said:
No, I think it's the factory or whatever the 88 represents. If you go thru the posts here and on the Apple site, that seems to be the link. People with problems seem to have different weeks, but the #888 seems to be the most common, I think. I heard that 88 represented the factory and the 3rd 8 was the year, of course, and then the week: 28, 29, 30, etc. Anyway, I haven't noticed any "cracks" in my black phone, but I think they would be hard to see on a black one, unless it is really obvious.
Click to expand...

no because barely anyone has been posting their factory numbers. And my old iPhone with a crack was factory 87. There isn't a apple thread with this anymore and the ones here at MacRumors the week seems to constantly be 28 or 29 but nothing else
 
prospereagle92 said:
no because barely anyone has been posting their factory numbers. And my old iPhone with a crack was factory 87. There isn't a apple thread with this anymore and the ones here at MacRumors the week seems to constantly be 28 or 29 but nothing else
Click to expand...

I have a cracked black 16gb that's being replaced tomorrow and it's from factory 86 and week 27.
 
Mine is white from week 30th and starts 888. I dont have any cracks but this in my 4th phone. All the other phones had "light leak" on the left side. The only problem with this one is that there is some light comming from the back of the main speaker in top of the phone. Its not much and hardly noticible but ill be pissed off if dust gets in my phone. Apple is sucking at quality control on this phones. They should at least say something to the consumer about the problems. First time buying an Apple product and im pretty disappointed.:(
 
luigi408 said:
Mine is white from week 30th and starts 888. I dont have any cracks but this in my 4th phone. All the other phones had "light leak" on the left side. The only problem with this one is that there is some light comming from the back of the main speaker in top of the phone. Its not much and hardly noticible but ill be pissed off if dust gets in my phone. Apple is sucking at quality control on this phones. They should at least say something to the consumer about the problems. First time buying an Apple product and im pretty disappointed.:(
Click to expand...

You realize that you're having the 'light leak' thing because of improvements to the phone right?

There is a gasket added between the bezel and glass so if it's bumped it doesn't crack the glass as easily as the 1st gen iphone. Where a hard surface meets a soft one there's always possibility of a slight gap. Just don't have the screen so bright when you're in low light and you shouldn't even notice it....unless you just have outrageous expectations for everything, in which case good luck with being happy in life. :p
 
there is a dint in my black iphone 16gb around the headphone jack I can assume it is a dint plus a mark has appeared on the back, how do I go about exchanging it with o2? I have o2 insure has anyone exchanged it with o2 insure?
 
GradientMac said:
Guys, calm down, this crap happens. It's the way the plastic is fitted, and the rumour that it's some sort of plastic-coated ceramic stuff apparently.

Anybody remember the Nintendo DS hinge cracks? They were FAR worse then this, some of them were even falling apart.

I'm willing to bet that all the stuff you're seeing is totally superficial and sitting on the plastic coating of the phone rather then the actual inside, if course you can't feel it, it's hairline. The only reason it looks so bad is because your fingers have natural oils and dirt in them, and the more you touch it and screw with it the darker and grosser it's going to get, so just leave it.

It's really not a big deal, this stuff just happens, RIM has been making plastic phones for an extremely long time, of course they know how to prevent that, not to mention the fact that their phones aren't even remotely as complexly designed as the iPhone's back [It might not look complex, but the shape is stressing the plastic at the edges.]

The reason for the cracks for the most part being at the edges and sides of the phone rather then the middle is because of the shape. It's shaped like an arch, and anybody who's ever dine studying in architecture knows that the reason an arch is a good shape for say... building a bridge is because all of the pressure is exerted at the ends of the arch.

It's really not a big deal, and unless this starts causing the phones to fall apart or have actual, important damage I wouldn't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Thats exactly what I think people should do regarding this whole issue.... it is a cosmetic problem only.... exchange it ONLY when the cracks actually affect the overall usage of the device itself.
 
In my opinion the iphone 3G shouldn't have cracks or light leaks and if it does it should be returned, i'll be picking up my iphone 3G in black at the AT&T store on monday and if it does have cracks or if i see light leaks later i'll be returning it, when i'm paying $300 bucks for a phone i do expect it to be of quality its not like its a free phone or a phone for 1 cent thats disposable, the iphone should last, who would want to walk around with an iphone thats cracked.
 
Oh yeah, just keep a 300.00 cracking phone. Give me a break.

If my 16gb black was cracking, which it is not. It would be going back.

I'm sorry, even if it is only cosmetic the phone goes back if it cracks, that should go for everyone.
 
Twenty5 said:
Thats exactly what I think people should do regarding this whole issue.... it is a cosmetic problem only.... exchange it ONLY when the cracks actually affect the overall usage of the device itself.
Click to expand...

your an idiot.........
 
hmm.. i think i will hold off getting one now until this finally works out. i think it will be unnoticed by most, but with all of us here so upset, its fitting that apple is doing a no questions asked replacement. they could just do a minor press change and thicken up the plastic around the headphones... that or maybe its a inconsistancy in the molding process, where whoever is makeing the plastic over heated/ underheated it. just throwing it out there, since back on like page 8 someone brought up that it seems to be ceramic coated, which would represent a new *technology* that could still be hard to make. on a side note, it kinda looks like the cracks in my macbooks case around the ports. :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back