“Are white iPhone 3Gs prone to hairline cracks? According to reports on MacRumors and the Apple Discussions forum, some users are discovering small hairline cracks forming on the white plastic shell,” Adrian Kingsley-Hughes reports for ZDNet.
“I’ve not been able to find any reports of these cracks appearing on black iPhone 3Gs,” Kingsley-Hughes reports.
Full article, with some good images of various cracks on white iPhone 3G cases, here.
According to Daily Tech’s Brandon Hill, “The cracks seem to mostly affect owners of white 16GB iPhone 3G models, but owners of black iPhone 3Gs have reported problems as well (but to a lesser degree).”
Hill reports, “Thankfully for most users, Apple’s retail stores are replacing the defective units free of charge on the spot.”
Full article here.
This is nothing new. As with many Rev. A products, manufacturing (and/or design) issues happen. It seems that Apple has already identified the problem and is taking the necessary steps to satisfy affected customers and, with history as our guide, will certainly work to correct the manufacturing (and/or design) issue in the future.
Note: We have access to information of several iPhone 3G (black) units, including our own units – some are in protective cases and some aren’t – that each undergo heavy daily use since Day One purchase and none of them have yet developed a single crack.
If your iPhone 3G plastic case is showing cracks, let us know below and be sure to contact Apple or visit your nearest Apple Retail Store for your replacement.
And now, stand by for the usual suspects to blow this all out of proportion in 3… 2… 1…
I have the white one and no cracks here.
I have a black one and I want cracks. Damn you Apple!
no cracks here, black version.
Can’t get one, black OR white. The only crack here is in the Apple supply chain.
bondo
No iPhone, but I have a crack.
Washington, D.C. has plenty of crack.
I have a white iPhone that is only a week old. So far no cracks, dents, blemishes, or other unwanted features. Will post pictures if any develop – unless they are caused by pilot error.
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Peace.
I have the white and no cracks so far.
It’s the “Cube” all over again…
So what, RIM has had CRACK-berries for some time now.
I’d make a crack, but the best ones are already taken.
White iPhone 3G here.
Too scared to look.
Ignorance is bliss.
@Moo:
Nice crack! But, I’m sure you get that all the time.
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So, does it just go to show that whites are really crackers, or what?
i’m all cracked up over this
what’s white and looks like crack
How’s the craic? (Irish).
Some of these could be due to idiots cracking the case taking their iPhones apart. One shot shows the chrome covering has been removed from the side buttons. I’ve had my white iPhone for three weeks now with no case or protection and it has no cracks. I know that if I drop it on concrete like I did with my first iPhone, it won’t stand up as well. I’m being very careful.
@ Your Mom…
huh?
Have a 16GB white and no cracks what so ever!
I’m white and have a crack. I’m heading to the Apple Store to have myself replaced.
You folks who claim to have the white iPhone, are y’all chicks? Cause that shit is mad feminine.
Aluminum back iPhone, no cracks! Do have one dent on the top left corner though…
The first launch day 16GB black iPhone 3G that I was given at the Rogers store I was first in line at had a hairline crack from the headphone jack down towards the back about 4mm long (1/5 of an inch). I noticed it before completing my transaction and asked them to get me another one, which they did. My replacement, and my wife’s white unit seem to be free of cracks.
I have a white phone, but its covered in a tight black case, which I cant seem to remove to check for cracks.
Perhaps when I figure out how to remove the case, I will let you guys know.
White iPhone here —-> No Cracks
white, no cracker
Ahhh, so it’s OK to accuse whites of having crack?
Man, this PC thing is getting out of hand.
White 3G, no cracks yet.
Take that ATF!
I am with Randian
On a waiting list in Cancun Mexico
but loving 2.0 on my old iPhone (soon to be the wife’s)
crack is whack
@Jack
I like to see you get an 8GB white…
@John Gee “huh?”
He’s referring to the Mac Cube, which in some cases developed cracks in it’s corners
… fewer on black models …
um, wouldn’t a hairline crack be more difficult to see on a black surface than a white one? it’s probably the same percentage on both …
my friend used to snort crack. Does that count? He’s white.
Kinda of a side note, but for those with 3G’s: How have they held up to scratching/scuffing? Everyone was concerned about this when it was announced, but I have not heard anything since the release.
I’ve got a white one and it has a few small cracks around the headphone port. Never opened the case, never dropped it, and I’ve always been careful with it. I’ll get it replaced once the rush is over with.
I guess there’ll be plenty of refurbished 16gb iPhones soon.
It’s not a fault … it’s an “antiquing feature” designed to result in a lovely crackle finish over time. Classy!
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Apple successfully invents the new Crack-berry.
I have a white one and there are no cracks on it.
Of couse I have not dropped it, which the pictures of the cracks in this article all look to have been caused by.
16Gb black iPhone-it’s in a form fitting neoprene case, so there is no way I am prying or cutting the thing off to look for cracks.
…MDN boardroom this morning: “Let’s see how we can put the words ‘white’, ‘hair’, and ‘crack’ into one sentence and still get away with it!”
No cracks on my Cube!
Wait, what were we talking about again?
Damn Maui-Afghani cross.
“The Great Apple Fanboy Massacre”
I see you have no problems appointing yourself with greatness… you seem to be lacking on proof of greatness though. No post I have ever seen from you shows greatness… unless you provide some way of validating your greatness, I suggest you just change your name. May I suggest: “Some PC Loser that lives in his mothers basement” That is much more believable from what I have read from you.
The Dude abides.
I have a new white 3g iPhone and after reading the above, I checked my phone out and found cracks!
MobileMe oh my…now cracks!
I have a white one and i have a couple small cracks. I noticed them after just a day or two of having the phone.
“black don’t crack.”
I have the black one and have had to return two of them because of cracks near the headphone jack. I love my iphone 3g, but this sucks.
@ ChrisM
Have a black 3G bought Day One. No scratches or scuffs despite a 3 foot fall to the terrazzo tile floor of Washington National Airport. The black does have a tendency to show fingerprints which my wife’s white 3G does not.
I’m seeing a lot of wisecracks.
Crack kills.
just my $0.02
McCain — We can’t cut and run. Ignore the terrorists at your peril. Pretty soon all our iPhones will be cracked.
Obama — With Real Change you can believe in, we’ll bring hope to generations of Cracked iPhone owners. Together We Can fix the crack problems of America and the world.
McKinney (Green Party) The sooner we get rid of all technology and start going back to mother Gaia, the better the world will be
Nader (Independent Party) I have nothing to say that Greenpeace hasn’t already beat up Apple about…
Barr (Libertarians) The government has no right to tell me anything, ever.
Amondson (Prohibition party) (I got nothing… these guys are just plain scary!)
Here is a White iPhone 3G.
Here is a White iPhone 3G on Crack.
Bluefin,
Good stuff! Thanks.
One way to help see cracks in dark colored plastic is to wipe the area with a cloth soaked in alcohol (regular isopropyl).
The fluid will evaporate faster on the surface than in the cracks and sometimes makes it easier to see them.
Just be careful with the alcohol, and test a small area to make sure it doesn’t affect the plastic, or the screen.
(Disclaimer: Users take full responsibility for any damage caused by this suggestion.)
@ SBG:
Better idea – a la, Kitty Dukakis, just drink it and you won’t care of it has a crack, yo.
Me In LA,
Do you like yours shaken, not stirred?
Get it LA? Shaken? I crack myself up.
@ SBG:
Crack – as in San Andreas?
Yes.
I was shaken and stirred.
Me In LA,
“I was shaken and stirred.”
Through no fault of your own, I’m sure.
Apple Retail Store’s new slogan: Apple Geniuses . . . fixing the world one white cracker at a time. And yes, my white iPhone is cracking.
I have a black 8Gb 3G and discovered a crack near the dock connector yesterday.
How long before Apple determines the cracks are “flow lines”?
Here we go again…
As with many Rev. A products, manufacturing (and/or design) issues happen.
Does this apply retroactively to Windows Vista as well?
“Does this apply retroactively to Windows Vista as well?”
No, only Apple gets a free pass for major screwups. Any other company who is not perfect on launch day will be held up as an example of all that’s wrong with the computer industry.
Y American krack hose!!!!
Plumbers have plumbers putty to cover their cracks.
@ The Great Apple Fanboy Massacre
If this were to happen to Instinct or , a WM, Blackberry or Dell you probably wouldn’t hear a damn thing about it unless it came from an independent reviewer. Wanna know why? Despite the size of the population that owns Blackberrys there isn’t a site like this for trollers to go on and start battering ther products or reputation. Instinct doesn’t have the traction, WM units arent even close to Comparable and Dell has enough problems with PR and customer service. Now are’t you happy the nice folks at MDN provided you a spot to vent your colostomy bag? Now go to your corner and eat your beans and drink your milk.
“How long before Apple determines the cracks are “flow lines”?”
These stress cracks were caused from the iPhones being stuffed so full of Apple goodness that they simply couldn’t contain it all. The more cracks, the better the iPhone. Cherish them.
“Plumbers have plumbers putty to cover their cracks.”
I wish they would do so. It’s very unsightly.
@ Fanboy Frigtard
Hey remember a couple of years ago when Bill Gates was doing a preview of windows Vista at COMDEX on a projection PC and it crashed and failed to boot. He tried to laugh it off saying “that didn’t happen before”. That was carried on the 6 O’clock news across the nation. Didn’t make America’s funniest home videos though. Think of all the rehashing of all the Windows operating systems in the past and how smoothly they went, 3.1 to 95 to 98 to Mellinium to XP. Name one that didn’t cause the masses to have to throw out their old boxes and buy new ones and periperals as well or have to overclock their old system to the point of being a Hindenburg in a lightning storm. M$ rep and the rest of the computer industry that follows them is well deserved. Apple is allowed a hicup every now and then otherwise they will never become better. M$ and company keep repeating the same old S#!t and expecting a different result (the definition of insanly stupid).
some initial manufacturing challenges are to be expected and resolved.
talk about looking for flaws. consider the HTC touch Rhinestone or
the Samsung Ins omnia I900
It should not matter if you are black or white, we all deserve crack!
“preview of windows Vista at COMDEX on a projection PC and it crashed and failed to boot”
Imagine: beta software that has bugs. What we’re talking is not a demo of beta software crashing but Apple beta testing with the paid customer base. And they do it with every product launch. Don’t worry early adopters, they will probably change the plastic on the 2nd million iPhone 3Gs. I’m not sure how it helps you, but later purchasers appreciate your product testing on Apple’s behalf.
“Release the CRACKen”
“How long before Apple determines the cracks are “flow lines”?”
How long before some MDN frigtard posts that Steve really intended the cases to crack so he could show customers how quickly and effectively Apple could replace them, and what a move of commercial genius this is.
@Spark
“I’m white and have a crack. I’m heading to the Apple Store to have myself replaced.”
Best one so far. Thanks for the laughs!
I had a white iPhone that developed 2 of these cracks 1 day after I bought it. Took it back and got a new one.
i was sitting down during the earthquake.
that’s how i got the ig crack in my ass.
oops. i meant “big” crack.
big crack in my white iphone ass.
yeah.
cuz i was sittin’ down.
earthquake.