Apple 3G iPhone Plastic Shell Gets Cracks

In what can now be argued as more than a few isolated incidents, it seems the white iPhone 3G's plastic casing is suffering from cracks and splits.

Those tracking the issue in an Apple support discussion thread and elsewhere say the hairline fractures most often appear on the plastic shell near the corners of the device, particularly near the headphone jack, ringer switch, and volume controls.

The cracks appear to be primarily hairline fractures that most often appear on the plastic shell near the corners of the device, particularly near the headphone jack, ringer switch, and volume controls.

Similar fissures have been reported as appearing on the black model too - although not in such great numbers which some speculate is as they are harder to see.

Apple's response seems to be mixed with no official statement and although reports suggest that some retail stores are replacing cracked handsets, other have not been so lucky.

Those contacting their carriers aren't necessarily so fortunate: in one case, an Ottawa, Canada resident has been turned back at retail and on the phone by Canadian iPhone provider Rogers Wireless, which said it would have to technically rule the flaws "customer abuse" and charge the full replacement cost of the phone.