J thought we had a rare prototype of the first iPhone? Also known as “IPhone 2G”, the smartphone that changed the way people connect on was obviously created overnight. As a result, a few prototypes of the device circulated in the hands of Ma engineers for more than a year before its official launch in 2007.
With the increasing popularity of the iPhone and the appreciation of Apple as a brand, many took advantage of the good reputation to sell these alleged prototypes (1, 2). In some cases, salespeople made a few thousand dollars.
In addition to the iPhone, prototypes of other Ma products have also been marketed online, mainly by eBay, and in several situations Apple has forced the platform to remove ads. Now, two new auctions are offering alleged prototypes of the first iPhone. In one, the seller announced the testing device as "the rarest of all". In both ads, the photos show that the prototypes correspond to version 1.1.1, a characteristic that still does not confirm the legitimacy of the product.
The auction of the alleged prototype of the first iPhone started last Monday (8/27) and has already reached US $ 12 thousand. The seller, from the city of Portland (in the United States), wrote that the prototype has some writing on its back, such as notes on the Bluetooth version, Wi-Fi and different GSM bands. In addition, some images show the testing software that was designed to assess hardware functionality, such as buttons, sensors, microphones, Wi-Fi and the cellular network; in this case, the alleged prototype runs version 1.1.3 of the “OS X” system.
It is worth mentioning that this same item was announced in 2015, but for some reason the sale was not approved and the device was never sent. At that time, the gadget was sold for no less than $ 61,000!
The second alleged prototype is not actually being auctioned. In fact, the seller, from the city of Edinburgh (in the United Kingdom), announced the device last Thursday (23/8) for $ 5,000 and is selling it directly to anyone who wants to buy.
As well as the auction apparatus, this one also has some information about the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GSM version, but it was noted on a piece of paper taped to the device and not engraved on the chassis, as in the other. Furthermore, his mute button has no marking, as in the first.
As highlighted by AppleInsider, both ads have similar descriptions about the items the Portland seller just removed and modified some information to publicize his auction. In addition, the US seller also uses an image (of the device's screen running system management) listed in the UK ad.
Although this does not serve to indicate that neither of the two items may be fake, the devices are, in most cases, owned by Apple which means that the unauthorized sale of such hardware is prohibited. In this sense, although they have not been (yet) removed from eBay, Ma informs that buyers should be aware of potential fraud when buying obsolete equipment from the company, especially popular parts of its history.
