By today’s standards, the tech in the first-gen iPhone is considered to be “ancient”. However it is still a very much talked about smartphone, namely because had it not been for the first iPhone, smartphones might not have gotten as ubiquitous as they are today. It also makes for a great piece of tech history for collectors.For collectors with money, it appears that you now have a chance to own that piece of history because in a post on eBay, a seller by the handle of 321dady has put up an auction for the first-generation iPhone prototype, which at this time of writing has managed to fetch close to $30,000 in bids. With 7 days left, it is possible that it could cross that $30,000 mark and go even higher.
According to the seller, “I am selling a preproduction iPhone 2G prototype. This prototype is running an early version of Apple’s iOS designed to test the phone’s hardware functions. The same operating system, which features tests for the iPhone’s radios, touch sensors, display and battery.”
Now $30,000 is a lot to ask for especially when you’re bidding on an item from a stranger, but from what we can tell 321daddy seems to have a feedback score of 396 with 100% positive feedback on their eBay profile, if that’s any reassurance. As to whether or not this is the real deal is hard to say, but you’d have to pay $30,000 if you want to find out.