So does this mean next years WCIA 2010 award could be a iPhone 3GS?

@FrugalFreak: I don't think a single device can be named WCIA; it would have to be the company producing it.

@Jakuub:
And with all of apples "blunders" with overheating and fires over the years, they havent won yet and doubt they ever will.

Besides their support is way too good to earn them that award.

My girlfriend once told me "Fashion Hurts". I see it also burns.

@Jakuub:
@socalrob:

I think you both misunderstood him. I believe he is referring to that fact that if your iPhone 3GS turns brown it is now officially a piece of shit.

Just to keep the Consumerist honest, the Apple technical Article (HT2101) doesn't list the color change, was around before the 3gs, and was updated recently. Your copy reads like Apple acknowledges the color change problem, which may or may not exist.

I was ticked a year ago when my first iPhone had overheating problems. Apple replaced it with in a day, the second one didn't have the problem. I have a few replacement phones, but Apple/ATT always seems to replace them with in a day, unlike the last phones I had from another carrier.

I would love to see more pictures of people's white iPhones that have discolored.

It's a bad idea to leave any phone in direct sunlight - especially one with a glass screen and multi-layered accelerometer.

I am still using my first-generation iPhone (bought it on 6/29/07 after 12.5 hours in line) and ALWAYS have it face-down on my lap if I'm in the car or have it reversed in the clip if it's in my pocket. I imagine if I hadn't taken precautions, I would be one of those people who have had repeated issues with their iPhone (or any phone, really).

I have, however, slammed it in a car door twice. Now THIS was the result of forgetting it was on my lap (protecting it from the sun) and then getting out of the car. Never a scratch on it.

@DeadWriter: Exactly. A friend of mine had the screen on his first-generation iPhone go brown on the edges. Apple exchanged it the same day, so this issue definitely isn't new - but the alert of overheating perhaps is new with the 3.0 firmware update.

@FrugalFreak: Many people won't agree with me, but I whole-heartedly think that Apple is rather deserving of the WCIA award. Why is Apple trying to restrict consumer choice (as far as carriers and applications go), telling people what they can and cannot do with their iPhones, and deliberately attempting to destroy the phones of those who don't agree with Apple and jailbreak their phone to use it to its full ability?

Unfortunately, the iPhone is so shiny and pretty that people fail to realize that Apple is treating their customers like a sack of shit...everyone would be up in arms if Apple or Microsoft wanted to tell everyone what they can and cannot do with their PC! And this is coming from a once-loyal Mac user who certainly isn't getting an iPhone, and may or may not get another Mac.

My free LG flip phone never overheats, and I have it in my pocket all day.

So what you're saying is, Apple is jealous of Microsoft's original Zune, but didn't want to admit it, so they built the iPhone to gradually copy the Brown Zune? (*ducks and covers*)

@Vanilla5:

I've done this, except the phone is secured between my thigh and the seat and I get out of the car and forget it's there.... nosedive onto the pavement. I did this with my old 2G iPhone, and it resulted in a massive dent to one corner and plenty of small nicks. Phone still worked perfectly. I did it once with my 3G, and it got a scratch on the silver bezel and the plastic back just laughed at the pavement. Aside from the hairline scratches from normal use, you can't even tell it was dropped.

@AvisCinna:

Yes. poo=brown

@John Wallace: I've had mine in a *speck rubberized case since day 1. I've hardly ever taken it out. I think that's probably why it stays lookin lovely. =)

The "S" stands for "sucker".

@Antiks: Damnit, I thought you were just happy to see me.

I have had no issues with my iPhone 3GS 32GB. I got one when it first came out and that one was defective (It kept resetting repeatedly). After troubleshooting, I took it back to Apple and they exchanged it for a new one. Since then, I have had no problems. I have tried stressing the phone out by running graphic intensive apps and it works fine. I'm guessing whoever i getting a brown iPhone is either retarded or has a defective product.

In health care:
"CODE YELLOW" = pee pee accident
"CODE BROWN" = ... so it looks like apple has a code brown going on.

@DeadWriter: Um... this story is a few weeks old, and there are quite a few pictures of white iPhones with clear brown marks on the back of them all over the web.

@Thain: Damn I wanted a brown Zune.

And no, I'm not being sarcastic.

My iPod touch has over-heating problems and it hasn't changed colors

I guess this problem is only striking the white iPhone users so the rest of us are safe... hopefully

@pmcpa4: in fact, read the linked wired article, big picture with brown marks. Mind you, it doesn't turn into a chocolate bar, but it clearly isn't all white anymore!

I bought my 3gs when it came out. My problem was the left-side of the phone being unresponsive to my touch. That means that you can't call or use any of the functions on that side of the phone. Anyone else had this problem? I didn't drop the thing, or damaged it in anyway.

This seems like a very misleadingly-written article. As far as I can tell by backtracking everyone's source, there has been exactly one uncorroborated story about an iphone turning brown. This somehow has gotten repeated through every tech blog out there and turned into 'lots of sources' which seems a little dishonest.

Did I miss some more stories about this? It seems like the only corroborating stories are about the phone getting hot, but being reported like all white iphones are going brown.

@Vanilla5: I have a dinosaur of a Nokia that makes my teenage cousin laugh, but I once backed over it in my Volvo sedan and it still works perfectly. When she can do that with her iPhone, I will begin to be impressed.

@JulesNoctambule: Uh - I don't think that's advisable with ANY phone that's not Mil-Spec rated.

I've had quite a few Nokias in my life as well (6340i, 3595, 3360) and can attest to their strength. I used the 3595 during a demonstration in college and threw it against a brick wall - survived with no issues.

However, a Nokia and an iPhone are apples and oranges. Glad you're happy with you're Nokia - but I'm impressed by my 1st generation iPhone and wouldn't trade it in for any other phone.

@Bryan Fernandez: I haven't heard of that problem. I'd definitely return it to Apple (NOT AT&T - they're useless) and I'm pretty sure they will replace it with no problem once they see the issue.

I'd check the Apple Support pages and Gizmodo to see if anyone else has had that issue.

Overheating iphone? Isn't there an app for that? :-)

This is nothing new. A few years back, Apple's white Macbooks had problems with discoloring as well.

Maybe white isn't the best color to use for a device that's held in the hand or in the pocket most of the time.

@Shadowfire: I have a poop brown zune. it's pretty special.

@Thain: Apple isn't emulating the Zune, they're copying the Spaceheater 360. Next weeks headlines are going to be about the iPhone "Red ring of death."

Yet another point of consideration for the well-known E70 vs. iPhone debate.

@scootinger:

But the consumer KNOWS that buying the product. They've made a choice to purchase a product, that in some people's opinion, is crippled. It's completely different than a company that goes out of its way to mislead or deceive consumers. If I order a $40 a month plan from Comcast with no setup fees, and then get billed $50 a month plus a set up fee and they claim they never told me otherwise, THAT's worthy of WCIA.

Now, if Apple were to try to lobby for regulation forcing OTHER cell phone manufacturers to do the same, that's a different story.

Maybe it's all that copying & pasting and hardcore compass use putting it over the edge. Perhaps it's so jammed full of stupidity now that has nothing to do with being a phone that it finally reached its limit and is just going to melt down.

@JulesNoctambule: Nokias were crazy reliable, I remember mine surviving all the nicks and dents and itentional throws throughout high school. Hell the thing even survived a full dive into the pool.

@BuddyGuyMontag: Zing

@WiZZLa:

+ 1000.

@John Wallace: I put a big crack in mine from missing my coat pocket (it was icy out, I was wearing gloves)... thankfully, the crack is down at the edge of the screen and doesn't seem to affect anything.

@scootinger: "everyone would be up in arms if Apple or Microsoft wanted to tell everyone what they can and cannot do with their PC!"

We have ISPs for that silly!

so in a few months we're gonna get the iPhone 3GSX which includes a 'rad' 3 inch heatsink in place of a metal backing. AWESOME!!!

@Vanilla5: I don't need a phone that does all the things an iPhone does, but even if I did just watching the speed at which so many of my friends go through theirs would put me off. I'm glad yours has done well by you, but a close friend is on his third so far this year -- that's a little too much turnover for me!

@scootinger: Yup.
I bought MS Excel for Vista and tried to run it on my Linux OS and it didn't werk!!
Exactly same thing. Guess consumers are responsible for knowing what something is before purchasing it. Radical, huh?

@Trai_Dep: You didn't "buy" Excel, you purchased a license for use on an operating system, then tried alter the deal.

As for everyone else with the "crippled" comments - is it as crippled as anything Verizon offers? Ever try using "optimized browsing"? It's a piece of shit.

@JulesNoctambule: I'm always skeptical anecdotal evidence by people saying "they're on their third phone..."

My brother is on his third iphone too. This was after losing 2 LGs, washing a Samsung, and dropping a Nokia. Some people are just not responsible phone owners.