A factory-sealed original iPhone from 2007, the year Apple began selling the product, has sold for more than $39,000 at a US auction.
The unused 8GB iPhone originally cost $599 when it hit stores five months after the model was unveiled by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007.
In his speech, Jobs described the device as a “revolutionary and magical product”.
LCG Auction said the winning bid bought the 2007 gadget for $39,339.60.
“This factory-sealed, first-release example is in exceptional condition,” the auction house said.
“Virtually flawless along the surface and edges, the factory seal is clean with correct seam details and tightness. Labels on the reverse are correctly pristine beneath the seal.
"All original — no aftermarket stickers or UPC labels on this one.”
The first-generation iPhone has a 3.5-inch screen and a two-megapixel camera. It did not support third-party apps.
Time Magazine named the iPhone the “invention of the year” in 2007.
One of the trends of the year, Time reported, was that computing needs to happen in the real world as much as it does the cyberspace.
“It's a genuine hand-held, walk-around computer, the first device that really deserves the name,” it reported at the time.
The first-generation iPhone is now as much a historic product as a transformational one.
The iPhone 14, the latest generation, was released this year. Prices start at $799.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone Pro each come with a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max have 6.7-inch screens.
Users also now have access to a more advanced camera than the original model. The newest phones feature a 12MP Ultra Wide camera and TrueDepth with auto image stabilisation.
The iPhone 14 also carries up to one terabyte of data.
Old-school Apple products - in pictures
-
Vintage Apple imac computers stored by Dubai marine electronics company Elcome International. All photos: Reuters -
The AAPL Collection documents the first 30 years of Apple's existence from 1976. -
It includes the 1976 Apple Computer 1 – the first product by the company. -
The collection features the complete line of the Apple II and Macintosh families, early handheld devices, printers and displays, and the original iPod, iPhone and iPad, plus books and manuals. -
The collection has been put together by Jimmy Grewal, an executive director at Elcome International. -
Mr Grewal holds the motherboard of an Apple Computer 1, hand-built by Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. -
The collection is thought to be the rarest selection of Apple products in the Middle East. -
The public has opportunities to interact with the AAPL Collection at pop-up exhibitions.
