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Sketchy-Looking iPhone 3GS Prototype on eBay

By Leander Kahney (11:10 pm, Jul 02 2009)

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Up for sale is on eBay is a sketchy-looking, non-functioning white iPhone described as a prototype demo unit of the brand new GS model.

The auction has attracted two bids and is currently running at $305, even though the iPhone doesn’t work.

The seller says there’s a problem with restoring the software: “This device is not eligible for the requested build,” iTunes says when he tries to restore it.

The seller, vofffka, of Ocean City, New Jersey, says an Apple genius at his local retail store verified the iPhone as an Apple product, but can’t service it, “because it’s never been sold.”

WTF that means, who knows?

The seller has a very high rating. He is currently selling several unlocked iPhones.

Where did he get this prototype? Get this. In the QA section, a potential buyer asks the same question, and gets this reply:

“Hi! It is currently NOT WORKING, I got it on ebay a month ago and the guy I got it from told me he found it in the airport. Thanks!”

Yeah, that makes me feel real keen to bid on this item.

Here’s a link to the auction: White 16GB APPLE IPHONE 3G S PROTOTYPE UNIT!

More pictures after the jump.

Via Fixyourthinking.com


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7 comments »

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About the author

Leander Kahney

is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac, and author of three books about technology culture: Inside Steve’s Brain, the New York Times bestseller about Steve Jobs; Cult of Mac; and Cult of iPod. Leander has written for Wired, MacWeek, Scientific American, and The Guardian in London. Follow Leander on Twitter @lkahney and Facebook.

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Posted in Hardware, iPhone, iPhone 3G S, News, Web |

  • Kristof B

    I think it’s a 3G… The Model No says A1241. I have a GS with model No A1303. Also “iPhone 16GB” and the trademark symbols don’t have the shiny tint like the Apple logo.

  • Kyle Van Kooten

    It is a 3G… the words iPhone and the other print would be chrome if it was a 3GS. And since when did prototypes have serial numbers? and the employees at my store don’t open the iPhones in store, they are usually swapped with a refurbished model…

  • http://jroth860.wordpress.com Justin R

    Did anyone else notice the screen protector on the iPhone? I think that number was etched into the screen protector.

  • scott

    well I just went to the serial number look up site that I use all the time and is completely accurate and it says the following…

    Serial number: 8884409K3NQ (cleaned up from ’8884409k3nq’)
    Name: Apple iPhone 3GS
    Model: iPhone 3GS
    Family name: A1303
    Colour: Please tell us what colour this iPhone is.
    Capacity: 16GB
    Memory – number of slots: Please tell us how many memory (RAM) slots this machine has.
    Factory: 88 (Shenzhen, China)
    URL: Technical specifications by apple-history.com code_to_number: 09K – 4H5440GDRJ7

    Model introduced: 2009
    Production year: 2008
    Production week: 44 (November)
    Production number: 325 (within this week)

    notice the production year and week….this phone was made last November

    very interesting…this is prob right on the money…I think it is a prototype that has had it’s serial number blocked from itunes…prob cuz of the loss or stolen nature of the phone…bet this guy is going to get a mint for it

    • http://cultofmac.com Leander Kahney

      @scott. Very interesting. What’s the URL for the serial number lookup site?

  • Dave

    Here is the link to get the S/N details.

    http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

    Dave

  • http://macme.ru фдуч

    shutdown internet+ clutch shift or option + click restore+chose ipsw=restore=>working iphone