There’s a subculture of Apple fans who trade and sell prototype devices and nonpublic Apple software. And this time, a prerelease iPhone prototype from 2006 was up for auction on eBay.
The used and functional iPhone was used for testing inside Apple at its headquarter in Cupertino, before the company launched the first iPhone in 2007. It uses a similar but different operating system that provides access to testing and development tools, as well as Apple OS X, which is Apple's desktop operating system.
The device that has etching on the back proclaims it to be Version 1.1.1, includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 components. And also, it doesn't have that FCC etchings at the back, according to photos supplied with the eBay auction.
Also according to the listing, the device was handmade and not "mass produced in China" like other iPhones. It uses custom internal hardware, and slightly heavier at 144 grams than the iPhone that was eventually released.
The listing said that the device is a "DVT" prototype, or a design verification testing device. What this means, it was produced before "PVT" testing, the engineering stage before mass production.
Prototype devices like this one were often given to or taken by Apple engineers at the end of a project as a souvenir, according to collectors in the community. Among them, some eventually made their way into the market.
This iPhone was previously listed on eBay back in 2015. At that time, the bid price reached $61,000. But since the listing was taken down, the device was eventually sold privately for $8,000.
The reason was because Apple usually requests a take down on posts selling obsolete or prototype Apple devices when they're up on public websites. In most cases, these devices are Apple property, meaning unauthorized sale of such hardware is prohibited.
According to collectors, this is the main reason why most trades happen on private channels.
“This is definitely one of the rarer units,” said the seller that goes with the name "31dady" from Portland, Oregon.
However, the listing was seen suspicious, as there was another similar listing on eBay. The listing which came from UK, had identical description and photos. The listing was posted a few days earlier from a different seller. It was sold at $4,999.
Not long after the news about these two iPhones circulated, the Oregon listing have been taken down.
