White iPhone 3GS units discoloring from excessive heat

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  • Reply 41 of 140
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by winterspan View Post




    This is clearly from poor quality lithium-polymer batteries that are overheating. In fact, It is probably dangerous, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see an iPhone or two that ends up melting down or exploding.



    Count on it and the lawsuits to follow. Apple really shit the bed on this one. They need to pay more, cut the margins just a bit and opt for higher quality internals. I consider batteries as a key component to the iPhone.
  • Reply 42 of 140
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    So far, with all the reports on the web, they show the same single device from the one user.



    This has the beinnings of some serious FUD, and a bunch of people on AI who only come out of the woodwork during times like this are eating it up before anything is confirmed.



    It's ONE report that's coming from here:



    http://translate.google.com/translat...istory_state0=
  • Reply 43 of 140
    I'll be getting a black one so it won't matter much and hopefully be squared away by then.
  • Reply 44 of 140
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by winterspan View Post


    don't support oppressive and fascist regimes.



    You mean communist.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by winterspan View Post


    This is clearly from poor quality lithium-polymer batteries that are overheating.



    Yes, clearly



    It could just as easily be the main SOC. It's running at a higher clock speed than the version in the 3G, and is able to perform more computations per clock cycle. It's doing a lot more work so could be getting much hotter.



    You are making assumptions, you have zero evidence to back up your claims that this is a battery problem or related to poor manufacturing. It could be due to these things, but there are plenty of other possible causes.
  • Reply 45 of 140
    caliminiuscaliminius Posts: 944member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Apple removes the threads from its websites simply because of the "internet effect" of these issues. It only takes a couple people having the issue to spread erroneous FUD about a product. Like it or not, they have the right it's more likely to make the major news channels that a few out of a million iPhones are having a battery issue while the seemingly rampant Pre issues from only a few hundred thousand devices won't send up any flags. Apple having it on their own site is just another dart to through at them: "Even Apple's own forums are filled with hundreds of posts about the problem". That doesn't sound so good when the sensationalist media gets ahold of it. A company has a right to protect its bottom line, and part off that is often protecting the product's name, even if the motion is mostly fruitless.



    Sorry, the excuse "it's Apple's (insert item here), they can do what they want." is a bit tiresome. What's the point of Apple providing a support forum if they're going to censor the support issues that are included? I can see them removing offensive or irrelevant posts, but legitimate hardware issues? What makes them sound worse, that there's a couple hundred posts complaining about iPhone overheating issues or the fact that Apple seemingly is trying to cover up the problem? And what does the Pre have to do with anything? Yes, the press holds Apple to a higher standard (don't most Apple fans as well?), but Apple should already be aware of that and acknowledge issues, not attempt to bury them.
  • Reply 46 of 140
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    Actually, you are incorrect. Apple's normal tactic is to appear to ignore the potential issue publicly. Mean while, it studies the matter to determine if there really is an issue, whether or not the potential problem is widespread, and finally the cause of the problem. If there is a problem and it effects enough people, it will find a fix and quietly replace the phones of users reporting the problems. There is nothing gained by acknowledging a potential problem based on a hand full of people complaining about something.



    Further, the forums are designed for users to help each other solve fixable problems not to bring Apple's attention to an issue that may need Apple's intervention. Apple has other channels for that. Clearly, if a phone is discoloring, a user should be contacting Apple directly to bring it's attention to the matter and get a replacement. The phone is under warranty, and Apple will replace it. Posting in the forums on this type of issue does nothing but bring people's attention to a matter that may not be widespread, and potentially can harm sales when news media reports on the unvalidated claims in the forums.



    Like all companies, Apple refines it's manufacturing process on practically a daily basis as it learns of potential issues and it figures out how to build the thing more efficiently. Here Apple may have to reformulate the plastics it is using, like it had to do a few years ago for some early model Macbooks. It may have already addressed the issue. No real big deal to the user. Any defective phones will be replaced.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Trajectory View Post


    Yes, this is typically how Apple deals with problems that crop up with their products: Deny and Obfuscate. This is also what makes their forums mostly useless, as they censor them too heavily. Just like a certain Mac rumors forum.



    I've had a white 16gig 3G phone for over a year and haven't had any of the cracking and no discoloration of the back at all. I'm now starting to feel glad I didn't upgrade to the 3GS as Rogers says I have to wait another year before I can upgrade anyway. The next generation iPhone will work out all the hardware kinks of this one hopefully.



  • Reply 47 of 140
    dfilerdfiler Posts: 3,420member
    What's with all the China bashing in this thread?

    Thanks, way to make AI look like a bunch of ignorant pricks.
  • Reply 48 of 140
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iPhone1982 View Post


    Then PLEASE tell me one case when Apple didn't put out iPhone X.xx after a phone release?



    Going from Firmware 3.0x to 3.1 (Apple's firmware releases have gone for months) without a jump from X.0x to X.1. Or in this case 3.0 to 3.1.



    Pre Release.



    Edit. Explain the WHITE iPhones with a Tan. I'm sure there is an explanation to explain the release but I'm sure many will justify it and accept it as the norm.



    From what I can tell about 3.1 they seem to be fixing some issues with the 3G S phones and adding new capabilities, hardly what I would call a rush.





    I have a Black iPhone 3GS and my gf has a White iPhone 3GS and it is not 'tanning'. Reports seem to suggest this is a problem only effecting a 'few' customers and not a large amount.
  • Reply 49 of 140
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dfiler View Post


    What's with all the China bashing in this thread?

    Thanks, way to make AI look like a bunch of ignorant pricks.



    I noticed that too.



    Aside from current issues regarding "human rights" - and don't forget much of that has originated from Western concerns and has been perpetuated by the West, China does lay claim to a 2,000 year old rich cultural heritage - where some of the greatest advances in philosophy, art, law and even technology were made.



    To call China a "bullshit country" (one example of a few in this thread) simply unmasks the horrendous lack of standards when it comes to education in North America, and worse, the prevailing attitudes about "foreign" cultures.
  • Reply 50 of 140
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr. H View Post


    You mean communist.



    I think authoritarian fits a lot better. I don't think they're really communist, the label really doesn't seem to fit anymore.
  • Reply 51 of 140
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    I think authoritarian fits a lot better. I don't think they're really communist, the label really doesn't seem to fit anymore.



    True. It's a bit of a mish-mash.
  • Reply 52 of 140
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


    Here Apple may have to reformulate the plastics it is using



    Well that, and they have to address what's causing the phone to overheat to begin with. Usually, heat in electronics is caused by resistance. I know it sounds weird to say more voltage could dissipate the heat, but it's true. They've been boasting longer battery life with the new firmware and 3gs, but perhaps they cut it too close in some circumstances.



    If they don't fix the heat issue, more problems will surface down the line, like a shorter battery life (not just the drain on the battery, but the actual life of the battery.) Batteries and heat don't mix well.
  • Reply 53 of 140
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member
    Steve Jobs was obsessively thin due to illness but that doesn't mean that Apple had to apply the same "thinness" principle to Apple's products such as some of the iPods and now iPhone!



    Hey Apple, here's a clue, add a few damn mm's to the thickness of the iPhone casing to allow, apparently, for fire proof insulation. I'd rather be able to hold a fatter iPhone than not hold one at all because it becomes hot enough to discolor the casing!



    I don't want an Anorexic iPhone, Apple. Put some meat on them bones!



    (apologies to those who have or know of someone with Anorexia or some other eating disorder. It is not a problem to be made fun of. However, Apple and their view that a product isn't sexy if it isn't thin, well, isn't that similar to what the definition is to those who suffer some eating disorder, like Anorexia (defined: an extreme fear of weight gain and a distorted view of their body size and shape.) Remember, we're talking about a company that releases the MacBook Air with the excerpt "Thinnovation"! If that doesn't tell you one's mindset...



    People for slightly thicker iPhones unite! Let's have phones that we can hold in our hands without fear of being scorched. Let's have phones that don't change casing color due to overheating. Let's have phones that the ambient temperature of the casing is such, that you don't feel a thing! And most importantly, let's have iPhone that don't catch on fire!



    http://www.switched.com/2009/03/04/3...-than-we-thin/



    A slightly thicker case if you please Apple. That or a better insulated casing shell then the current plastic one used.
  • Reply 54 of 140
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    The discoloration is simply a sign of a larger problem and anyone with it should take it for a replacement. If you have a black iPhone and you feel that it's getting too hot under normal use and that the battery is not holding a charge in standby for as long as it should then get it replaced. You have the right to get the product you were promised.



    Also, anyone who is now so upset with Apple because their 3GS was one of the few duds doesn't want a replacement you are all within the 30-day return policy.



    I want to buy one this week but now I'm afraid I'll get one from the defective batch or whatever.

    Do you think there may be a recall?
  • Reply 55 of 140
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sapporobabyrtrns View Post


    Count on it and the lawsuits to follow. Apple really shit the bed on this one. They need to pay more, cut the margins just a bit and opt for higher quality internals. I consider batteries as a key component to the iPhone.



    Should I now wait before I buy?
  • Reply 56 of 140
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sapporobabyrtrns View Post


    I'll be getting a black one so it won't matter much and hopefully be squared away by then.



    I'm more concerned about cracks than diiscoloration.
  • Reply 57 of 140
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    This might take care of any heating issues, if any do exist.



    http://www.techtree.com/India/News/A...03833-615.html
  • Reply 58 of 140
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Should I now wait before I buy?



    Wait? Wait for what? What does any of this have to do with you?
  • Reply 59 of 140
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Wait? Wait for what?



    Wait for Apple to get rid of the defective ones from the pipeline before purchasing? It has to do with me because I'm all set to buy one. Or will a software update take care of the heating/cracking/discoloration issue?
  • Reply 60 of 140
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Wait for Apple to get rid of the defective ones from the pipeline.



    To enable you to do what?
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