by , 10:55 AM EDT, July 30th, 2008

Apple replaced the metal back on the original iPhone model with a colored plastic back on the iPhone 3G, and after little more than two weeks on the market some owners are reporting that the back on their new iPhone is cracking. Apparently the issue is more prominent on the 16GB white-backed iPhone 3G, but some black-backed owners have found cracks as well.

Apple Discussion Board users have been talking about iPhone 3G case cracks for a few days, and some posters have said that they were given replacement units after visiting an Apple Store Genius Bar.

So far it looks like the cracks are cosmetic and are not impacting the combination iPod and smartphone's performance, but it does not bode well for users or Apple to see cracked cases appearing so soon after the device hit the market.

[Thanks to Engadget for the heads up.]