I’ve had an iPhone 3G since the day it was released almost 2 years ago. It’s been awesome and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to “dumb” phones ever again. In the last few months, I noticed that my phone developed two cracks in the rear casing – one from the dock connector radiating upwards and one from the mute switch headed inwards. Over time, they got worse and worse – by the time I got it fixed, the dock connector crack was about 1 inch long.
Incidentally, I’ll mention that my iPhone always rides in my front pocket on it’s own.
Fortunately, when I bought the phone I also picked up the 2-year AppleCare warranty. As this writer at MacWorld did, I setup an appointment with the Genius Bar of my local Apple Store, brought it in and got it replaced. I’m really glad I made an appointment, because the day I showed up the place was packed and there was a long wait list for the Genius Bar. I simply breezed up to the bar, told them I had an appointment and they took care of me right there. The tech gave the phone a once over for signs of abuse, scoped the headphone jack to check for moisture damage and told me that the cracks were “between a covered defect and accidental damage,” but that they’d replace the phone anyway. A few minutes later, he brought out a refurbished unit, popped in the SIM from my old phone, activated it, and a few signatures later, I was on my way.
Painless. And pretty much guarantees I’ll get the AppleCare Warranty when I pickup the iPhone 4G/HD/whatever they call it.