eBay Bids for Alleged iPhone 6 Prototype Near $100K

Collectors' items have been known to sell for mind-blowingly large piles of cash. And it looks like an alleged iPhone 6 prototype up for auction on eBay is inching closer to that level.

Seller kimberlyk1018—identified by CNET as Alex Kantor—turned to eBay once he realized his new smartphone was actually a rare developer model.

"Apple does NOT let these phones out of their possession yet I was accidentally sent one upon renewing my contract," the eBay product description said.

An avid tech lover, Kantor thought he's auction off the prototype to earn a few bucks. As of press time, the current bid exceeds $99,000.

"I am so surprised by how high the auction has gone," the seller told CNET. "Yesterday morning I was about to end the auction at $3,500 just to get out quickly. I am very happy that I decided not to," he said.

The 64GB iPhone 6 was mistakenly delivered by Verizon, complete with a USB cable, earbuds, and a wall charger. But instead of the typical iOS 8 software, the mock-up runs SwitchBoard, which Kantor said "is only for internal Apple testing."

It also comes free of any FCC markings or model number, with a red lightning port—"a sure sign of a prototype," the seller said.

Despite Kantor's "110 percent guarantee" that the gadget is an authentic Apple prototype device, it remains unclear how it got mixed into Verizon's regular shipments. Or whether Apple expects the phone to be returned to Cupertino.

It wouldn't be the first time the tech giant asked for its toys back. Three years ago, blog Gizmodo avoided charges when it returned a prototype iPhone 4 after purchasing the lost property for $5,000. But that was before the official launch of the iPhone 4; the iPhone 6 has been on the market for several weeks now.

Also in 2011, Cupertino also requested that an eBay seller return a modified MacBook prototype he was trying to hawk online.

:story: PC Magazine