Over the past two weeks, it has been revealed that Apple’s iPhone 3G S suffers from overheating issues. Perhaps not all handsets are faulty, but, certainly, the issue exists with some devices, several reports have confirmed. White iPhone 3G S models, for example, get so hot that the plastic case on the back turns pink, or brown.

Countless anonymous posters have filled Apple Discussions and other Apple-focused forums with complaints of iPhone 3G S handsets overheating, most of whom have isolated the cause in running resource-hungry applications, web browsing over 3G or using GPS. It is a common fact (and one that Apple undoubtedly admits) that all iPhone models tend to warm up a bit when the handsets’ features are heavily used. However, simply running an application, or browsing the web should not spell problems for a million-unit selling device.

And it’s not just forum posters that have been reporting these issues, Wired’s Gadget Lab reveals. The site posts a quote from Melissa J. Perenson writing over at PC World, who, apparently, has a faulty device as well. The quote follows below.

“And at some point, I became aware the handset had become very hot. Very, very hot — not just on the back, but the entire length of the front face, too. I was using a game, and then later the Web browser for reading the news about Michael Jackson, all over a Wi-Fi connection while plugged in. And in those circumstances, well…toasty doesn’t even describe how surprisingly hot it got. It was too hot to even put the phone against my face. No discoloration to report, though; I have the black handset, and didn’t see any effects.”

Apple is yet to respond to these allegations, and is likely to remain silent on the matter until the issue becomes more widespread. It is known that, sometimes, next-generation devices (not just Apple’s) experience issues upon their debut. Should Apple acknowledge this problem, replacements may be in order.

Has anyone here experienced overheating issues with their iPhone or iPod touch and, if so, under what circumstances?