advertisement
June 29, 2009 1:00 PM PDT

White iPhone 3GS discoloration blamed on overheating

by David Martin
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 15 comments
Share
(Credit: David Martin)

Reports of heat-related discolorations appearing on the white model of the iPhone 3GS are surfacing on the internet.

According to Wired.com's Gadget Lab some white iPhones are getting so warm that their plastic cases are discoloring to pink or brown. The article continues with other examples and suggests that the issue could be related to faulty power-management software in iPhone OS 3.0.

Ben, an iPhone user in France, took this photo of an affected white iPhone.

(Credit: Le Journal du Geek via Wired.com)

Other Web sites reporting the issue include Nowhere Else, Le Journal du Geek, iLounge.com and Engaget. We've previously covered heating complaints linked to Wi-Fi on the iPhone 3G and you can find the a discussion thread on the topic on Apple discussion forums.

Is your iPhone 3GS overheating? Does it get noticeably warm when used with apps like AT&T's Navigator? Has the case shown any discoloring? Let us know in the comments.

Topics:

News

Tags:

iPhone,

Apple,

3GS,

discoloration,

overheating,

brown

Share:
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Recent posts from iPhone Atlas
'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' dazzles on iPhone
Photogene for iPhone: Pros and cons (video)
Need a new headlight bulb? There's an app for that
Ustream app streams live video from your iPhone
QR code readers for your iPhone
Google Mobile app for iPhone gets an update
New iPhone apps aim to lower stress
Analyst: Verizon is the iPhone's next big feature
Add a Comment (Log in or register) (15 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
by pol;0987 June 29, 2009 1:49 PM PDT
David, why should people complain here and not go the Applecare or the Apple store or even Apple's forums? Is Cnet offering fixes? or just griping boards?
Reply to this comment
by Mark_Anderson June 29, 2009 2:28 PM PDT
Why should you come here and offer apologetics?
by Bitakarma June 30, 2009 9:48 AM PDT
imagine that, an organization that reports news about tech subjects actually trying to gather information.
by FroZone June 30, 2009 10:13 AM PDT
I want to know what good the last paragraph in this article does.
by jcmark42 June 29, 2009 6:05 PM PDT
No discoloration on our 3G white case after the 3.0 update.
Reply to this comment
by nwojciak June 29, 2009 6:59 PM PDT
This is the real deal, my iphone 3gs does get very warm, I'm guess this is the next iphone recall. I have heard that it's very warm with the gps on, personally i think it's the iphone struggling to keep a connection on att ;) edge to 3g to edge to 3g....all while standing in one spot lol
Reply to this comment
by Wacko June 30, 2009 6:09 AM PDT
I have the 32GB iPhone 3GS (White) and I have noticed it gets HOT compared to previous iPhone and iPhone 3G models I have had. The case however has not been discolored, however I have not run it in a turn-by-turn mode yet.
Reply to this comment
by eg6motion June 30, 2009 6:29 AM PDT
Well, so far, with all the reports on the web, they show the same single device from the one user. Almost starting to suspect BS as there have been 0 reports of any other white ones doing this. I thought the regular iPhone 3G got just as hot when using wifi or GPS heavily as well. Somehow this story has surfaced all over the web though, all for one report of discoloration. I bet he likely set it on something hot or it's discolored from a case or something else. Just would have though there would be other reports by now if it was a true issue. The multiple stories are covering it like it is a widespread problem.
Reply to this comment
by ender21 June 30, 2009 6:54 AM PDT
What's being widespread is multiple users' issues with their phones running hot with one user reporting discoloration along with it. Just check this site and you'll see several reports of phones being hot enough that users can't use it as intended.

That said, I agree, the discoloration report does seem a little fishy.
by eg6motion June 30, 2009 7:23 AM PDT
Exactly. Lots of new iPhone owners reporting high-heat. Which, coming from previous iPhone's, I have chalked up to be normal (my 3G and 3GS are pretty equal in high-usage heat). Worst heat I have seen is from using the REV app while performing dataloggin on my car. Uses a ton of WIFI and will drain the battery very quickly. Actually, it uses so much Data over WIFI that it will drain the battery faster than the iPhone can charge simultaneously. I have it plugged in via car charger and it will prompt me about lower battery and turn off despite it being plugged in.
Reply to this comment
by Daniel-Castaneda June 30, 2009 7:25 AM PDT
I have have my 3gs since the 19 th and I have noticed it being a bit more hot than the 3g but not too much, maybe it will get hotter eventually...so I'll just have to see .
Reply to this comment
by brynn08 June 30, 2009 6:03 PM PDT
proly over-paid for this over hyped phone.....and over-priced plans on a mediocre network......i love this !!!!
Reply to this comment
by moonknightskye July 2, 2009 5:50 PM PDT
I own an iPhone 3G white(not S though) 16GB, and after a month of usage the phone really gets noticeably hot and yes.. there is a discoloration... near the center, just below the apple logo became very very dark and near the volume adjustment and the speakers... I used a plastic protector (so thin you wont notice) and i thought its just the dirt of the protector... and when I read this news I was surprised because it was not actually dirt but burn marks... should I ask for replacement?
Reply to this comment
by zoolander369 July 5, 2009 1:01 PM PDT
YES! Take it back and tell them that you want a new one (nicely, of course). It's a flaw. They shouldn't have used such cheap plastic (Hairline cracks, heat stains... come on!)
by aristotle_dude July 5, 2009 2:13 PM PDT
It is not caused by over heating. It is from a sticker left on a third party case.
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2009/07/05/iphone-3gs-turning-red-a-problem-with-some-protection-enclosure
Reply to this comment
(15 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next

Search iPhone Atlas

advertisement

About iPhone Atlas

iPhone Atlas helps you navigate the ins and outs of Apple iPhone ownership with how-tos, troubleshooting information, news, reviews, and more. Got a tip? Want to contact us? E-mail iphoneatlas@cnet.com.

Add this feed to your online news reader

iPhone Atlas topics

Reviews & advice
Site map
Editorial policies
Meet the editors
How we test
Forums
Internet speed test
Popular topics
Apple iPhone
Apple iPod
Cell phones
Dell
GPS
LCD TV
CNET sites
CNET Site map
CNET TV
Downloads
News
Reviews
Shopper.com
More information
Newsletters
CNET Mobile
Customer Help Center
RSS
CNET Widgets
About CNET
sponsored