eBay Auctions

After we reported yesterday that a prototype version of the iPhone was available on eBay, Beta Firmware build and all, it managed to get the attention of Apple who requested the auction be pulled due to copyright concerns. Now the Beta Firmware is around in the wild and far from the reaches of Apple’s legal grip.

According to a tweet from Arnold Kim, the same Firmware we saw demoed on the prototype iPhone that made its short debut on eBay is now floating around the Internet as a sort of mockery to Apple’s copyright complaint. If you missed the video demonstration which suffered the same fate as the eBay auction, it’s been uploaded to YouTube again.

Via: The iPhone Blog

Looking for a chance to collect a piece of (mobile) Apple history and have more money to spend than the worth of an iMac? Your opportunity has finally arrived as a recent eBay auction for a prototype of the original iPhone has surfaced. The lucky buyer not only gets the Beta hardware so early in its infancy but a second, malfunctioning iPhone (only made weeks apart) to tinker with.

Needles to say this prototype forgoes the final builds or even early builds of OS X mobile for a quickly cobbled Firmware meant only for testing purposes. According to the buyer, calling and most features work and the lack of typing out a quick SMS is unfortunately one of the many penalties for the Beta build running on this iPhone. The working iPhone curiously has a matte plastic screen and a serial number that indicates it was manufactured in the 46th week of 2006 (the iPhone was formally introduced during January 2007). The working unit carries an OS version of 03.06.01_G (the first shipping iPhones ran OS version 03.11.02_G). The nonfunctioning prototype on the other hand has a glass screen, slightly higher serial… more...

Tommy reported earlier that a NJ teen has unlocked the iPhone and is currently using it on the T-Mobile GSM network. Now, George Hotz, the guy who did it is selling the second unlocked iPhone on eBay (He uses the first one as his personal phone now).

From the eBay post:

This is the worlds second unlocked iPhone(outside of apple vaults), and your chance to own a piece of mobile telephone history. The first phone in the youtube video remains safely in my pocket at all times. But the second one, the one unlocked live on the blog is available here. This was the most hyped unlock for arguably the most hyped product in history. This is the iPhone from the blog, that was unlocked live for the world @ http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com

Currently the bidding is close to $3K for this collector’s item. It’s a pity it is only a 4GB model…

Earlier today I posted a short story on how eBay is selling iPhone’s like hot-cakes at the minute, with one bid exceeding $1,500 - talk about enthusiastic.

The 8GB iPhone, which promises to be delivered within 30 days of the auction ending, has just been placed up and sold on the auction site for $1,525, almost three times the amount of the recommended retail price of $599. Whilst this could well be a hoax, eBay has yet to remove the item as the seller is putting up an honest front - he won’t accept payment from the highest bidder until he has the iPhone in his hands, and only then will he accept and ship.

Do you think the iPhone is worth $1,525? Let’s be honest, not even this bidder is guaranteed to get the iPhone at launch, because who’s to say the seller will manage to get one? It’ll be interesting to see how this folds out - and if you did make the highest bid, iPhone Matters would love to hear what drove you to pay so much for a… more...

Despite the fact that the iPhone is a few weeks away from actually launching, it seems that eBay is still the number one place to get an iPhone - now!

Don’t get too excited though because some of the auctions that are up claiming to offer an 8GB iPhone preloaded with songs and video clips are being swiftly shut down by the online auction giant, but that isn’t stopping some of the more honest folk out there from offering an iPhone for sale.

This auction here is offering an 8GB iPhone for pre-sale, but the buyer is being a little more honest in saying that he won’t be able to ship until after June 29th - the day the iPhone is officially launched. Here’s to hoping, for his sake, that he actually manages to get an iPhone when it’s released - he’ll no doubt be kicking himself that he sold it, should he get one, when he see’s how good it actually is.

Of course, if you’re not after an iPhone from eBay, you could search the site for 364 other iPhone search items and get yourself a Snazy case… more...