Hey, fast query: When you had a spare $200,000 laying round in your checking account, what would you spend it on? You’d in all probability spend it on a home, or possibly a brand new automotive (a number of new vehicles?). What you in all probability wouldn’t do is drop that sort of money on a 16-year-old iPhone. However that’s what occurred over the weekend.
The unique iPhone was launched all the best way again in June 2007. On the time, Apple launched two variations of what would change into its most profitable product ever: a 4GB storage mannequin that value $499 and an 8GB mannequin that value $599. And it’s that 4GB mannequin that has change into a little bit of a collector’s merchandise. It’s because again in 2007 the 4GB model bought extra slowly than its 8GB counterpart. Most individuals simply paid the additional $100 to double the cellphone’s storage, and in consequence, Apple discontinued the 4GB model simply two months after its launch, in September 2007. So there weren’t almost as a lot of them out within the wild, and even fewer remained sealed of their bins. That (kind of) explains why a sealed, mint situation iPhone 4GB from 2007 simply bought at public sale for $190,372.80.
As reported by TweakTown on July 16, the supposedly very uncommon iPhone 4GB was bought to an unknown purchaser on LCGAuctions.com for almost $200k.
LCG Auctions’ merchandise description means that the previous Apple cellphone is the “Holy Grail” amongst cellphone collectors. The cellphone up for public sale was nonetheless manufacturing facility sealed in its authentic field, and apparently in “distinctive situation.” LCGAuctions claimed the consignor was a part of the unique engineering staff at Apple throughout the iPhone launch, probably explaining how they received their palms on such a uncommon gadget and why they by no means opened it.
Different iPhones have bought for equally excessive costs
This isn’t the primary iPhone to promote for a big sum of cash at public sale. LCGAuctions cites a couple of different Apple gadgets which have, over the previous 9 months, bought for hard-to-believe costs, together with two factory-sealed 8GB iPhones from the identical period. One bought in October of final yr for $39,339, and one other hit $63,356 this previous February. And one more one among these previous, authentic, and still-sealed iPhones bought this yr for $40,000, purchased (and opened) by YouTuber Marques Brownlee.
What’s occurring right here? Nicely, some have steered that many of those big-ticket auctions involving previous tech, video video games, and collectibles are a part of some sort of money-laundering or price-fixing shenanigans. For instance, some consider that online game auctions involving sealed copies of Nintendo video games going for tens of hundreds of {dollars} are a part of some alleged racket involving merchandise graders, public sale homes, and wealthy purchasers. All firms concerned have denied the claims, nevertheless, and there’s no direct proof that means these current iPhone auctions are a part of some bigger conspiracy or in any other case tied to illicit actions.
No matter what’s happening, if you would like an previous iPhone or different collectible tech merchandise, you must in all probability purchase it now earlier than costs get even greater sooner or later. Possibly it’ll pay in your child’s school, or the AI apps that they’ll must compete within the 2040s job market or one thing.