Sydney: The online shopping portal eBay has reported the highest bid of $100,000 for an iPhone prototype. The seller claims that they were accidently sent an iPhone 6 prototype when they renewed a contract with Verizon. As of Monday, 172 people had bid on the phone.
The phone does not seem to be running iOS 8, but instead appears to be set in developer mode with internal Apple testing software. A photo of the back of the device shows that there is no model number or FCC markings, and a photo of the bottom reveals that the lightning port is red, which the seller claims is a sure sign of a prototype, News.co.au reported.
In an update to the listing posted on Monday, the seller claimed to have plugged the device into iTunes, and said it was recognised as an iPhone. But buyers are on their own when it comes to other functions, with the seller writing that he cannot guarantee that it will make calls or that the camera will work.
Back in 2010, a California man got his hands on an iPhone 4 prototype that had been abandoned at a bar. He said that he had contacted Apple but that the company ‘blew him off.’ He ended up being fined and charged with ‘misdemeanour misappropriation of lost property’, the report added.