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Apple has a lengthy history of turning the tech world on its head thanks to the many innovations it’s pumped out since it was founded in the 1970s, but I don’t think there’s any product that’s managed to leave the kind of mark the iPhone did when it was unleashed on the world in 2007.
The Blackberry had previously given us a glimpse of the future that Apple was able to usher in when it unveiled the iPhone, which essentially made that first company’s flagship product obsolete while ushering in a future where “smartphones” quickly became ubiquitous.
Apple is still able to generate a fair amount of hype with the new iPhone models it rolls out on a regular basis, but it’s hard to imagine any future version will be able to sniff the kind of hysteria we were treated to in the late 2000s thanks to people who would erect tents outside of retailers in the hopes of being the first buyers to get their hands on one.
It’s hard to imagine there are many people out there who put in the time and effort required to get their hands on the original iPhone only to decide they weren’t going to open it. However, based on how much a sealed first-gen model recently sold for at auction, it would’ve been a pretty solid investment.
According to Tweak Town, the iPhone in question was at the center of a pretty fierce bidding war that ultimately ended with the winner forking over a grand total of $190,372.80 for the right to secure it.
It’s worth noting part of the reason it was valued so high is that it was the 4GB model (which originally sold for $499) that was quickly discontinued following the launch of the iPhone after Apple determined most consumers were willing to shell out an extra $100 for the 8GB option (which started at $599 but dropped to $399 shortly after its debut).
Interestingly enough, the person who put the phone up for auction probably didn’t even pay for it, as they were reportedly part of the engineering team that helped bring it into the world.
Must be nice.