$50,000 for an iPhone? Unopened first generation model for auction - WRAL TechWire

By Jennifer Korn, CNN

An unopened first-generation iPhone from 2007 is hitting the auction block Thursday — with an estimated worth of $50,000.

Originally connected merchantability for $599, the first iPhone offered aboriginal Apple adopters a 3.5-inch surface with a 2-megapixel camera, positive 4 GB and 8 GB retention options, net capabilities and iTunes. It had nary app store, ran connected a 2G web and was exclusive to AT&T’s network.

Cosmetic tattoo creator Karen Green was talented the 8 GB mentation and ne'er broke the seal, according to her appearance on daytime tv programme “The Doctor & The Diva” successful 2019. An appraiser connected the amusement valued the telephone astatine $5,000 astatine that time.

Since then, different unopened first-generation iPhone similar Green’s auctioned disconnected for implicit $39,000 successful a listing by LCG Auctions that closed successful October. LCG Auctions is besides listing Green’s phone, with bidding opening astatine $2,500.

Green and LCG Auctions did not instantly respond to CNN’s petition for comment.

The iPhone changed the way billions of radical astir the satellite communicate, marque payments, bash their jobs, instrumentality photos and adjacent however they aftermath up successful the morning. It killed dozens of industries (camcorders, MP3 players, flip phones) and gave beingness to galore more.

Speaking astatine Apple’s yearly Macworld expo in 2007, then-Apple brag Steve Jobs opened his presumption with: “We’re going to marque immoderate past unneurotic today.” Jobs called the caller smartphone a “revolutionary mobile phone” that volition diagnostic an iPod, telephone and what helium called an “Internet communicator.”

“It’s atrocious retired determination today,” said Jobs of mobile Web browsers. “It’s a existent gyration to bring existent Web browsing to a phone.”

Apple enthusiasts volition person until February 19 to bid connected the tech relic.

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