3G - Cracks in Plastic Housing

[Twenty5]

your an idiot.........

hmmm you are calling me an idiot for what?

If apple doest fix this problem, even if you replace your iPhone 47 times YOU WILL STILL GET CRACKS the sooner or later. This is plastic people, not Al.

You think replacing your iphone multiple times, everytime you get a single little hairline crack is going to make you feel better? Then YOU do it. But dont call me an idiot for a little suggestion that I made. We are all (including myself) suffering from this.... And I know that we should exert our rights as consumers. But replacing a hairline cracked phone with another one that will soon have the same fate isnt that great of an idea either....

We should all just wait and see how Apple handles this whole thing....

 

[jong81]

Totally Agree

hmmm you are calling me an idiot for what?

If apple doest fix this problem, even if you replace your iPhone 47 times YOU WILL STILL GET CRACKS the sooner or later. This is plastic people, not Al.

You think replacing your iphone multiple times, everytime you get a single little hairline crack is going to make you feel better? Then YOU do it. But dont call me an idiot for a little suggestion that I made. We are all (including myself) suffering from this.... And I know that we should exert our rights as consumers. But replacing a hairline cracked phone with another one that will soon have the same fate isnt that great of an idea either....

We should all just wait and see how Apple handles this whole thing....

You make a lot of sense. I've been following this thread for a while. I don't understand some of the people who vehemently defend Apple. I mean, do you own stock or something?

I have witnessed significant quality control issues. I had to return 4 iPod Nanos, because of dead pixels, chipped paint, crooked screens, etc.

My friend got an iMac last week, there is dirt trapped under the glass in the monitor.

My first 3g iPhone had NO VIBRATION after waiting 6 hours in line to get it and the exchange I got has the same hairline crack others are experiencing near the headphone jack (it's a black 16g).

My other friend who waited in line with me to get it has light showing through the seam on the side of his.

The glass touch-screen is uneven on many 3g iPhones I've seen and the sleep/wake button is often crooked.

I have a friend who paid $2000 for a black macbook a few months ago. It arrived with dead pixels and the plastic on the side is starting to warp.

These are NOT isolated incidents. The quality control is terrible. The problem is that people are willing to deal with it, because of their loyalty to Apple. Apple has amazingly brilliant and innovative products that suffer from poor quality control ... that's the bottom line.

Now back to the original poster I quoted - Your reasoning has led to me and my friends' new theory ... might as well accept the flaws you have, because God knows what you'll get when you exchange it.

If there are cracks in these, there will be cracks in the new ones until Apple changes the way they manufacture the casing. At that point, they should replace the BLACK AND WHITE 3g iPhones that are experiencing cracking.

I am waiting til then or until this currently minor hairline crack grows in size. I can only really see it when I'm outside in the sun.

By the way, I'm anal retentive with my stuff. Really careful. And I've had non-apple products that never suffered from these types of manufacturer defects.

I think Apple is great - they just need to care more about what they're putting out. We pay enough for it.

 

[Twenty5]

You make a lot of sense. I've been following this thread for a while. I don't understand some of the people who vehemently defend Apple. I mean, do you own stock or something?

I have witnessed significant quality control issues. I had to return 4 iPod Nanos, because of dead pixels, chipped paint, crooked screens, etc.

My friend got an iMac last week, there is dirt trapped under the glass in the monitor.

My first 3g iPhone had NO VIBRATION after waiting 6 hours in line to get it and the exchange I got has the same hairline crack others are experiencing near the headphone jack (it's a black 16g).

My other friend who waited in line with me to get it has light showing through the seam on the side of his.

The glass touch-screen is uneven on many 3g iPhones I've seen and the sleep/wake button is often crooked.

I have a friend who paid $2000 for a black macbook a few months ago. It arrived with dead pixels and the plastic on the side is starting to warp.

These are NOT isolated incidents. The quality control is terrible. The problem is that people are willing to deal with it, because of their loyalty to Apple. Apple has amazingly brilliant and innovative products that suffer from poor quality control ... that's the bottom line.

Now back to the original poster I quoted - Your reasoning has led to me and my friends' new theory ... might as well accept the flaws you have, because God knows what you'll get when you exchange it.

If there are cracks in these, there will be cracks in the new ones until Apple changes the way they manufacture the casing. At that point, they should replace the BLACK AND WHITE 3g iPhones that are experiencing cracking.

I am waiting til then or until this currently minor hairline crack grows in size. I can only really see it when I'm outside in the sun.

By the way, I'm anal retentive with my stuff. Really careful. And I've had non-apple products that never suffered from these types of manufacturer defects.

I think Apple is great - they just need to care more about what they're putting out. We pay enough for it.

It is true when you think about it..... I recently purchased a MBP (check my signature for specs). I noticed that the latch didnt keep my notebook close that well as my other friend's MBP did (i have to use a little bit of extra force to get it done.. just a lil more). I thought about exchanging it, but what if the newer one has another different issue?? LEDs striping issue perhaps? And whats the point of exchanging it when they are now talking about faulty GPUs? I mean, the whole point of returning a device for a little cosmetic problem that you wont even notice from normal use is just plain silly.

I know that feeling in your heart we all geeks have.... "damnit.... the crack is still there... i dont like it....". But exchanging it isnt going to solve anything when you are risking it to give yourself even more trouble in the future.

'nuff said.

Edit: this is the problem my MBP has (Link)

 

[madlymocha]

cracks, dents or both

I too have notices cracks or dents in my iPhone. 16g black, 88828, MB048LL. I'm VERY sad and DISAPPOINTED by this. I want to return it because it is a $300 subsidized phone and I do expect it to be as close to perfection as possible. I expect EVERYTHING that I spend my hard earned money on to be as close to perfect as possible. I don't, however, have any of the other problems that other users have posted. My battery life is okay, I charge the phone every night (most times long before I get the 20% warning) but I did that with my blackjack as well, no dust, light leaks, or dead pixels. My concern is that later, if these cracks get worse, that Apple will not want to replace my phone. Even more of a concern is that my exchanging this phone will get me one with even more problems. Is there any way to get it on record at Apple that I have the cracks so that if the problem persists I can exchange it later without problems? I've actually been considering returning my iPhone and going back to my blackjack until all the issues with the iPhone have been worked out. PLEASE HELP. Any advice (and by advice I don't mean criticism) would be appreciated.

Thanks,
mm

 

[Goontron]

hmmm you are calling me an idiot for what?

If apple doest fix this problem, even if you replace your iPhone 47 times YOU WILL STILL GET CRACKS the sooner or later. This is plastic people, not Al.

You think replacing your iphone multiple times, everytime you get a single little hairline crack is going to make you feel better? Then YOU do it. But dont call me an idiot for a little suggestion that I made. We are all (including myself) suffering from this.... And I know that we should exert our rights as consumers. But replacing a hairline cracked phone with another one that will soon have the same fate isnt that great of an idea either....

We should all just wait and see how Apple handles this whole thing....

I called you an idiot because you claimed these cracks where a cosmetic issue. Only if the phone falls apart should it be considered seriously. That is the most ridiculous thought I have yet to read.

Structural integrity is cosmetic? Apple is selling up the fact of how much nicer the phone feels in your hand. Well, not much nicer if I can feel cracks on the surface.

You are correct, plastic is not Aluminum, but plastic can be just as resilient of a material. Remember, there are very very few metal housed phones, and many plastic ones, most of which don't suffer from stress fractures and need to be babied just to survive daily use. I'm sorry if I expect this plastic phone to have the same durability as all other plastic phones I have owned.

You are also correct in saying that replacing the phone is not the answer. And I hate to tell you guys this, as a lot of you will not like this opinion, this is a production wide issue. The polymer compound used in the iPhone is not ideal. They made it so hard so that it can withstand scratching that is had become too brittle and prone to cracks. The solution to this is for Apple to reformulate the polymer, make new phones, and issue a recall. Difficult news for a fanboy to swallow, I know. In the mean time, just chill out, play with the phone you have and wait for an official word.

 

[Twenty5]

I called you an idiot because you claimed these cracks where a cosmetic issue. Only if the phone falls apart should it be considered seriously. That is the most ridiculous thought I have yet to read.
Structural integrity is cosmetic? Apple is selling up the fact of how much nicer the phone feels in your hand. Well, not much nicer if I can feel cracks on the surface.

Yea.... well... you know, I consider HAIRLINE CRACKS to be a cosmetic issue.... i dont know about you though.... Now, if your iPhone cracks into many pieces and breaks, thats a structural damage and it would obviously AFFECT the usability of your device. So yea... take it back.

You are correct, plastic is not Aluminum, but plastic can be just as resilient of a material. Remember, there are very very few metal housed phones, and many plastic ones, most of which don't suffer from stress fractures and need to be babied just to survive daily use. I'm sorry if I expect this plastic phone to have the same durability as all other plastic phones I have owned.

Name me ONE, only ONE other phone that resembles the design that the iPhone has. By that I mean, one that is as curvy, polished and "clean" designed as the iPhone 3G.

You are also correct in saying that replacing the phone is not the answer. And I hate to tell you guys this, as a lot of you will not like this opinion, this is a production wide issue. The polymer compound used in the iPhone is not ideal. They made it so hard so that it can withstand scratching that is had become too brittle and prone to cracks. The solution to this is for Apple to reformulate the polymer, make new phones, and issue a recall. Difficult news for a fanboy to swallow, I know. In the mean time, just chill out, play with the phone you have and wait for an official word.

Agreed. I think we are partners now. *shakes your hand*

 

[irondocsampson]

Just talked to my friend at Oakley and he said they had a similar problem a little while back with some of their frames. according to him it was a bad batch of the polycarbonate plastic they use, so if this is the case with the iPhone then the problem could be corrected with just a few more shipments. Just food for thought.

Doc

ps. i can guarantee you that steve jobs was using the 3g for a good month or so before it was released. and if there was a crack in his, that would be the first problem addressed.

 

[Psychmike]

I'm VERY sad and DISAPPOINTED by this... I expect EVERYTHING that I spend my hard earned money on to be as close to perfect as possible. PLEASE HELP. Any advice (and by advice I don't mean criticism) would be appreciated.
Thanks,
mm

I know that if you call Apple with a problem, they track the complainant so they should have a record if you've had to return the same product many times. Most of the time, they are gracious about warranty issues and will extend the covered time if you encounter a problem later. I'm not sure how it works if you visit a store AND call in with a complaint but it would seem like a good idea to ask them to link those events.

I don't mean it as criticism but I do think that we can all become a little too focused on relatively small things at times. I know I have! You have every right to expect a reasonable level of quality from products that you purchase with your hard earned cash but at the same time, sometimes we can become a little too attached to our things which can leave us feeling very anxious. By all means, do what you can. Speak with Apple, try and get a unit that you're happy with. But also try to let go of it at the end of the day and enjoy everything else that is going on in life. Realize that anything that you buy will become scratched over time and that that doesn't say a damn thing about you. A good friend of mine scuffs new purchases on purpose just to get it over with!

It makes sense that you care so much about your iPhone. Apple doesn't market focusing on features, they market focusing on lifestyle. Apple promises (implicitly) that people will feel a certain way when they use Apple products but the onus isn't on you to live up to their commercials! You are fine and perfect in your imperfections. And if this ends up being the last day of your life (one never knows!) it would be a tremendous waste to spend too much of it on a tiny crack in a piece of plastic.

Peace to all.

Mike

 

[Surreal]

if you have these cracks...why not just make an appointment at the genius bar and get it looked at?

i don't think they'd mind, and at the very least, they will document that the crack was there and is NOT the result of a drop.

 

[yehudah72]

Hey, Yes this is common and Apple are deleting any traces of this off there forums. The best thing to do would be go to an Apple store and get it repaired.

just went to Apple.com and their forums still has the thread on this topic:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1642767&tstart=0

 

[frotomerket]

i havent seen this problem with my iphone, or the ones they have in the apple store, wether its white or black. unless apple employees switched out the iphones that started to show cracks.

 

[yehudah72]

i can agree with both side of the arguements...
why return if you can get a worse one vs. i gotta get my moneys worth


well, in addition to this points and something i haven't seen anyone mention is that companies look at statistics. in order for them to consider this a problem, you must exchange it every time.... let them see what a problem it has become. they might even consider a full recall and redesign or use different material. but they won't consider it if it is only John and Jane Smith having problems. help make this Complete Recall happen by complaining... i know it's a pain in the axx and time consuming, but remember that they will look at the over staticstics and profit & loss with eschanges vs. complete recall (because if not complete recall, they can continue exchange 1000 times per customer). so with this in mind, don't you feel that you can contribute by complaining everytime you get a problem???

 

[nate13]

i think its quite possible that all that it will come down to is switching out the back on the phone for one using a new or modified material. probally a 10 minute thing. they are taking them as returns because they havent gotten the replacement backs yet.

 

[dcingie]

I have had my white 16GB iPhone since release date, so far I don't have any cracks or scratches. I don't take too much care of it either. I usually slide it on my desk when I sit down or throw it on my bed before a shower. Personally, I think the cracks are due to pressure. When I handle my phone I barely put any pressure on it. When I mean pressure, I mean holding or on your pocket. For instance, you could have your phone in your pocket and rub your leg up against a car door or wall. Might not think anything of it, since the phone is in your pocket, but I would bet that is what some of the cracks are from. I just ordered a case from www.more-things.com. I will post a review of when I get the slim silicon case and cover.

I was considering getting this case myself, but had heard some not-so-nice things about it on some forums. Namely, that the camera cutouts look as though they were done with jagged edges, that the case didn't fit very snugly so as to prevent dirt and dust from entering, and that the opening on the bottom was to large. I would really like to hear how your experience with this case has been...

 

[hob]

I gotta say, I've been really displeased with the quality control on almost all of my Apple products... and I switched about 5 years ago.

The design is brilliant, OS X makes it worth the extra alone, but when you pay premium for a product, you expect it to be great...

Then again, that's not so easy to do... Stylish, light, durable and cost-effective? Something's gotta give... (as seen in the iPhone 3G)

 

[macintosh.apple]

Aahhhh, I just noticed a crack near the sleep button on my white iPhone. It really makes me sad. I hope they can get this worked out by the time I make it to an apple store to get it exchanged. My white MacBook is having the same problem.

 

[Bubba Satori]

I gotta say, I've been really displeased with the quality control on almost all of my Apple products... and I switched about 5 years ago.

The design is brilliant, OS X makes it worth the extra alone, but when you pay premium for a product, you expect it to be great...

Then again, that's not so easy to do... Stylish, light, durable and cost-effective? Something's gotta give... (as seen in the iPhone 3G)

It's down to any two out of four these days. Apple needs to stop holding functionality and durability hostage to style and anorexic looks.

 

[Trajectory]

I'll be getting a 16gig White iPhone this week. I'll let you know if it's cracked or not.

Crack is whack.

 

[andyblila]

ok i think that if you have a week 28 you are pretty much screwed.

I don't think so. I have a week 28. Not one crack.

 

[andyblila]

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.

As I replied to the last....I don't think so. I have an 888 since launch day. Not one crack.

 

[andyblila]

your an idiot.........

That's You're not Your. Who's the idiot now????

 

[Mikey B]

week 30 for me and it is perfect. no light leak, no cracks, no sloped sleep/wake button, no yellow screen, battery, meh- but i think that's just the way it is.

knock on wood, my whitePhone is without a flaw.

i hope Apple takes care of all of you who have these issues. don't take no for an answer at the genius bar, be polite and firm and you should be fine.

 

[andyblila]

You make a lot of sense. I've been following this thread for a while. I don't understand some of the people who vehemently defend Apple. I mean, do you own stock or something?

I have witnessed significant quality control issues. I had to return 4 iPod Nanos, because of dead pixels, chipped paint, crooked screens, etc.

My friend got an iMac last week, there is dirt trapped under the glass in the monitor.

My first 3g iPhone had NO VIBRATION after waiting 6 hours in line to get it and the exchange I got has the same hairline crack others are experiencing near the headphone jack (it's a black 16g).

My other friend who waited in line with me to get it has light showing through the seam on the side of his.

The glass touch-screen is uneven on many 3g iPhones I've seen and the sleep/wake button is often crooked.

I have a friend who paid $2000 for a black macbook a few months ago. It arrived with dead pixels and the plastic on the side is starting to warp.

These are NOT isolated incidents. The quality control is terrible. The problem is that people are willing to deal with it, because of their loyalty to Apple. Apple has amazingly brilliant and innovative products that suffer from poor quality control ... that's the bottom line.

Now back to the original poster I quoted - Your reasoning has led to me and my friends' new theory ... might as well accept the flaws you have, because God knows what you'll get when you exchange it.

If there are cracks in these, there will be cracks in the new ones until Apple changes the way they manufacture the casing. At that point, they should replace the BLACK AND WHITE 3g iPhones that are experiencing cracking.

I am waiting til then or until this currently minor hairline crack grows in size. I can only really see it when I'm outside in the sun.

By the way, I'm anal retentive with my stuff. Really careful. And I've had non-apple products that never suffered from these types of manufacturer defects.

I think Apple is great - they just need to care more about what they're putting out. We pay enough for it.

I am a stockholder and I refuse to defend Apple in this. It is embarrassing. I agree with most of the people complaining here. Apple has always prided itself on delivering a quality and visually appealing product. They dropped the ball here. Since they pride themselves on these standards....I think it's fair to hold Apple to them. We pay more money for Apple products, expecting those standards to be met. I for one do not mind paying for the quality we usually get. Not only should we expect Apple to replace these, and fix the overall problem.....we should demand that they do. I defend Apple when they deserve defending. They don't at this point. Their silence about this issue is an embarrassment!

 

[happydude]

2 white iphones, 2 cracks

2

 

[happydude]

2 white iphones, 2 cracks

my wife and i went in on friday and each bought a white iphone. as we left the store and took out our phones, out of the box, my wife's had a crack above the headphone jack. not just a hairline, but it's jagged enough you can feel it as you run your fingers over it. we went back to the store, but it would have been 2 hours before they could see us about it, even though we just finalized the transaction 10 minutes previous!!

today, i just noticed mine developed a crack in the exact same spot.

ok, so what the f*$k, apple. i know a lot of people are saying these are cosmetic and blah blah, but really, for a $500 phone you'd think you could get one that doesn't crack. apple has always put form and aesthetic about almost all else and use that as a selling point. they've dropped the ball here and need to address it.

and yes, i do think people need to go back and exchange them. we paid for a phone assuming they would not have cracks all over them. now they do. apple is at fault and needs to remedy the situation. they only way, as consumers, to make sure this happens is to hold their feet to their fire and make sure they replace these so they feel it in the bottom $$ as they can't keep up with demand for the phones as it is. at&t will probably also weigh in if enough phones that would have gone to new plans/extended plans are being tied up in replacing current customers' phones.

if blackberry released a phone with cracks all over it, there would be a sh#t storm. but apple enjoys a loyal band of followers who will bend over and take it, so the stink doesn't gain as much traction. it's time to make sure apple fixes THEIR problem and responds to the consumer.

yeah, i'm a huge fanboy and defend apple when they deserve defending. a $500 phone with obvious structural deficiencies doesn't deserve defending, it deserves fixing and the customers deserve replacements.