An original iPhone has been sold for thousands at auction, with the price fetched dwarfing that of even the most expensive phones on the market right now.
It’s not a bad deal for the seller, given that the first-generation iPhone has been obsolete for about 15 years now.
This version is no ordinary iPhone though, the device is totally factory sealed and has never been used ever.
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That doesn’t mean that it’s going to serve you as well as the most basic smartphone does these days, because it’s an old bit of kit.
Technology – as you’ve no doubt noticed – has moved on quite a bit since 2007, when the iPhone was first unveiled by then-CEO of Apple Steve Jobs.
The iPhone, which is known as the iPhone 2G, iPhone 1 or just the original iPhone, went under the hammer at LCG Auctions with the bidding starting out at $2,500.
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A lengthy 28 bids later, when the hammer finally came down for the last time, the bidding was at nearly $40,000.
The winning bid was $39,339 (£34,887) if you want to be really precise.
The device boasts a gigantic 8GB of storage – for context, the basic model of the latest iPhone 14 comes with 128GB – and has a camera that boasts two megapixels.
Again, the basic model of the iPhone 14 Pro has 48 megapixels.
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However, it does have something that the iPhone 14 can’t compete with – apart from nostalgic value – which is a headphone jack output.
Still, for those of us who were around to live through it and understand, the release of the iPhone was something of a revolutionary moment for technology and the way we understood mobile phones.
It really did seem like a great leap forward at the time, and it’s surely one of the most important days for technology in recent times.
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Since that was released, 37 other iPhone models have followed, each more technologically advanced than the last.
It also spurred companies like Samsung and Google into action, driving forward the progression of the smart phone at an even quicker pace.
This kitschy number didn’t even have a front-facing camera on it, meaning that you’d have to take your selfies blind in 2007.
Seriously, kids today don’t know they’re born.
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The auction listed the product as being in ‘exceptional condition’ with a factory seal that is still endowed with the ‘correct seam details and tightness’.
The listing added: “Brand new, never activated.
“Collectors and investors would be hard-pressed to find a superior example”
Apple products are known to sell for large amounts at auction if they are old and still in good condition.
Apple-1 computers can go for as much as £500,000 and older iPods have also fetched large sums at auction.
If you’ve got any stuff like that which is still in good nick, you could be sitting on a small fortune.
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Topics: Technology, Apple, iPhone, Money
Tom Wood