News Digest

Why are people on eBay bidding $100,000 for an iPhone 6?

If you thought $299 was too much to pay for your new 64 GB iPhone 6, you might want to look away. An eBay auction launched last week is making available an alleged “iPhone 6 prototype” model, with the current high bid reaching over the $100,000 mark. While nobody can validate the authenticity of this “prototype,” the seller is giving a “110% guarantee on this being an authentic Apple prototype device,” and the bids are coming in like all get-out. Apple, for its part, has yet to comment.

Apple does NOT let these phones out of their possession yet I was accidentally sent one upon renewing my contract [with Verizon]. As you can see from the photos, iOS8 has not been placed on this device, rather it is in the true developer mode.

The owner, whose name was listed as kimberlyk1018 on the phone’s eBay auction page

The only differences between this phone and the one you bought at a 33,300 percent discount look to be the software (mentioned above), the lack of FCC markings that are required on every phone, and a red ring around the charging port. Those bidding on the device — if their bids are authentic — are likely looking to buy a collectors item. After all, the warning “I cannot guarantee that it will make calls or that the camera will work” listed in the item description should give pause to anyone simply looking to claim “most expensive phone in the neighborhood” bragging rights.