It seems like it’s all the rage these days to drop way too much money on NFTs. Because who wouldn’t want to shell out $500,000 for an image of the “disaster girl” memeOpens in a new tab stored on a digital ledger? Now, in another massively horrible investment with minimal return somebody has spent $86,001 on an iPhone X that supports USB-C connectors. Although the USB-C iPhone doesn’t actually work as a phone.
The VergeOpens in a new tab reported on the USB-C iPhone X, which robotics engineering student Kenn PillonelOpens in a new tab created as a way to bring the fantasy gadget to market. At least as a prototype. For those unfamiliar, there is pent-up demand for an iPhone that supports USB-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power on a single cable, as Apple only offers its phones with its proprietary Lightning connector. (Lightning connectors, unlike USB-C connectors, do not allow for both data and power on a single cable.)
In the video below Pillonel shows how he made his USB-C iPhone X prototype. He began the process (ironically) by looking for the cheapest “halfway decent” used iPhone online. Pillonel settled on an iPhone X from 2017, and began converting it. His DIY video is quite technical, but, needless to say, the engineer completed the job. For the most part, anyway.
As The VergeOpens in a new tab notes Pillonel’s USB-C iPhone can perform most tasks, but users can’t make calls with it. The USB-C iPhone will also fail if somebody attempts to update the operating systemOpens in a new tab. Which reminds us of regular iPhones! Ba-dum-bump!
The auction for Pillonel’s prototype started at $1 on eBay, but had bids topping $3,000 by the first day’s end. From there, the price tag quickly climbed by tens of thousands of dollars before topping out at the ludicrous $86,001 figure. The Verge reports that there were even a few bids around $100,000, but whoever submitted them withdrew them in time to not count.
Despite the huge windfall, Pillonel isn’t stopping on his quest to right Apple’s wrongsOpens in a new tab. Apparently, Pillonel has said that he wants to continue on improving a USB-C iPhone prototype; adding things like more waterproofing and support for USB-C accessories. Although the engineer’s design is open sourceOpens in a new tab as well. So if you have the technical skills and don’t want to pay the bills, you can put together a USB-C iPhone on your own on the cheap.
