In the market for a new iPhone? Unfortunately, you might have to settle for one of Apple’s 2022 models, after an auction house in California just let a 2007 iPhone go for a cool $US32,783 – around $53,000 in Aussie terms.
LGC Auctions was flogging an original 2007 iPhone that is still factory sealed. The box looks more like a Cards Against Humanity expansion pack than it does an iPhone box.
Bidding for the iPhone started at $US2,500 (~$4,000) and at about 10:15 AEDT on Monday, some sucker (yes, I’m jealous) had committed $US32,783 to the cause.
When it was first launched in 2007, the iPhone retailed for around $US600.
The auction lot description describes the phone as being “one of the most important and ubiquitous inventions of our lifetime” and while we definitely agree, a home deposit (almost) seems like ridiculous money to drop on a gadget that’s all-but a cool paperweight.
The 2007 iPhone auctioned off boasts a whopping 8GB of storage, a touchscreen, a 2MP camera (lol) and, get this, a web browser. Honestly this is a fantastic find and it’s great looking back at how much things have changed. For comparison, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 48MP camera and will come with 1TB of storage if you want to hand over $2,769.
This factory sealed, first-release iPhone is in exceptional condition. As per the pictures, and testimony from the auction house, the packaging is virtually flawless along the surface and edges, the factory seal is clean with correct seam details and tightness and labels on the reverse are correctly pristine beneath the seal.
“Collectors and investors would be hard-pressed to find a superior example. Relevance and rarity comprise a winning formula for this red hot collectible,” they wrote.
Here’s Steve Jobs announcing the iPhone back in 2007 if you’re after some more nostalgia.