Whether or not it makes calls if of little consequence, apparently, as eBay users have pushed bidding on an iPhone 6 prototype well past $100,000.
Bidding for the developer version of the iPhone 6 opened at $999.99 and soared to $100,000 with roughly three days left to secure the handset.
"As you can see from the photos, iOS8 has not been placed on this device, rather it is in the true developer mode. There are no FCC markings on the rear of the device or a model number," states the handset's listing on eBay. "This is the real deal! The lightning port is red, which is a sure sign of a prototype. This device is being sold as is. I cannot guarantee that it will make calls or that the camera will work."
The phone's current owner, Alex Kantor, says he almost ended the auction early when bidding on the phone reached the $3,500 mark. Unless he's allergic to large sums of money, that would have been a monumental mistake.
Kantor received the phone in the mail from Verizon when he decided to upgrade to Apple's latest smartphone. After checking out the phone's software and taking a gander at the telltale red charging port, Kantor says he knew he was holding something special.
"I determined that this iPhone was a version not meant for the consumer market after seeing the software version on it. I am an avid tech lover and I knew what this software was right away," says Kantor. "It is actually called SwitchBoard and is only for internal Apple testing. Also, there is no FCC markings on the rear of the device or model number. Also, there is a red charging port, which is known on prototypes."
Because the iPhone 6 series has already made it to market, Apple may not call Kantor and ask for a return of the developer handset. In years past, Apple has called back products that accidentally made it out into the general public well before the slated release dates set for the devices.
When an Apple software developer lost an iPhone 4 at a bar back in 2010, another patron ended up with the then-unreleased phone and sold it to Gizmodo for $5,000. Not too happy about having a prototype out in the wild before launch, Apple filed misdemeanor charges against the individual involved in the sale of the device to the tech site.
