After just a week on the market, the iPhone 5 has owners writing up a laundry list of faults with the new device. Soon after the iPhone 5 went on sale last Friday, users started filling up discussion forums and social networks with reports of scratches and nicks on their brand-new phones.

People say they’ve noticed the defects around the aluminum band surrounding the phone, with the issue more visible on the black version of the new iPhone.

Those complaints don’t appear to bother Apple. “Any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver color,” Apple Senior Marketing VP Phil Schiller said in an e-mail, according to 9to5Mac. “That is normal.”

Apple seems much more taken aback by the flap over itsiOS 6 Maps app — so much so that CEO Tim Cook on Friday took the startling step, for Apple, of issuing a major mea culpa for falling short of delivering the best possible experience. “We are extremely sorry,” Cook wrote, “for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.”

But back to the iPhone: A purple halo also seems to plaguing some iPhone 5 owners, reportedly occurring on photographs if you aim your iPhone 5 camera toward a bright light source such as the sun or an incandescent light. If you then move the camera so the light source is off-screen, a purple halo effect can be seen through the camera. That effect also shows up on any pictures that are taken.

Users are also complaining of lines of static appearing across their keyboard as they type. But the problem seems to occur only when they enter their passwords at the App Store or iTunes store.

•  Some early iPhone 5 adopters stuck by Lightning — literally
•  Apple’s A6 processor appears faster than previously thought
•  AT&T’s off-contract iPhone 5 can be unlocked with an easy reset
•  Verizon has no plans to lock unlocked iPhone 5

Just days after the iPhone 5 hit the market, Apple supplier Foxconn experienced an hours-long riot at one of its factories that involved some 2,000 workers. The riot appears to have been related to overtime pay, and Foxconn has pledged to “make overtime payments as promised.”Foxconn’s working conditions have faced increased scrutiny and criticism of late. Along with riots, the facilities have experienced suicide, explosions and reports of harsh working conditions.

As Apple announced first-weekend iPhone 5 sales figures of 5 million units sold, CNET published a special report – From rocks to recycling: The life of an iPhone – in which we take a hard look at the human toll of creating iPhones, the environmental concerns raised by mining for the raw materials, and what happens to iPhones when people get rid of them. CNET’s Jay Greene traveled to China to get the down-and-dirty details.

via CNET