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Calling all iPhone Collectors

Fralle

Fralle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 18, 2012
447
13
South part of North
Does anybody collect iPhones? There are no threads in this forum about iPhone collecting. I know one member on this forum that has an awesome collection of rare iPhones.

In the iPod forum we have a thread started by MattyMac in 2007, which has grown to cover everything about collecting iPods. It has 1461 replies and have been viewed 293,600 times.

How about it? Would anyone like to share their iPhone collection with us? :)
 
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I'd be surprised if a noticeable number of people there is collecting iPhones - Apple didn't produce any special editions of the iPhones, and the devices themselves are rather expensive. Probably somebody collect sealed devices and/or some special firmware versions, but I can hardly imagine anything else.

However, early iPhones with the very first iOS versions of a kind could have really funny bugs. The most strange (in terms of unpredictable behavior) iPhones I know are iPhone 2G with iOS 1.0 and (surprisingly) iPhone 5S with iOS 7.0.0.
 
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I remember this thread for iPods. nice to see that you made one for iPhones. :) I have been collecting iphones since i was 13, but unfortunately, I have missed out on a few generations :(
 
It's not too late to start.
Well plated Fralle and iChernov on getting this started. - Hope it prices popular :)

I've never collected iPhones. I do have a sealed 1st Gen though in my cupboard as part of my iPod collection (that includes a iPad and iPhone). Mainly because of how it revolutionised the smartphone and tablet world we now live in.

I do know someone who collects iPhones. I don't collect recent models, but I use my 5s daily ;)
 
smokescreen220 said:
Rare iphones?
Click to expand...

see https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/18286307/

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Fralle said:
Would anyone like to share their iPhone collection with us? :)
Click to expand...

I already got some valuable opinions about my collection, thanks. I lost the desire to share it with anybody again.

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I did a small "research" in this area and can just name the rarest iPhones I know.

1) Prototypes (obviously), especially - prototypes of the original iPhone.
Photo from the MacRumors news

8ad9ed1fd80d4466dfd8b6261284c450.png


2) Gold iPhone 5S with iOS 7.0 Rarest color (at least at the launch day) + the iOS version, available only on the units, sold during the launch day. All later/preordered devices came with iOS 7.0.1 or later.

55335c9364ea265ed46d4d538a1b5fe1.png


3) European 4GB version of the original iPhone, which never reached the end customers.
Photo from the post of Salvarth

46e05a037157cb9987a19d70c58a4253.png
 
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maflynn said:
The hardware isn't going to be rare when Apple sold millions of them.
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if you read my post above, you will see, that there are still rare hardware specimen. Prototypes are always rare, but cancelled models (i.e. european iPhone 4GB) are also very hard to find.

I think that early prototypes of the original white iPhone 4 are also very rare, but at the same time famous due to the continuous delays with shipping of the white model in 2010 and 2011. The most obvious difference is in the sensors line above the earpiece:

wip42.jpg
 
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iChernov said:
if you read my post above, you will see, that there are still rare hardware specimen. Prototypes are always rare, but cancelled models (i.e. european iPhone 4GB) are also extremely rare.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying every iPhone is common, just a general observation
 
Well I kinda collect iPhones.

I have:

The 4GB iPhone 1st generation in very good condition. Works perfectly. (US version unfortunately...)

iPhone 5C with custom 5S white screen, home button, ect. :D

I sold an iphone 4 that was running iOS4...also have an iPod shuffle 1st gen sealed.

My 5S is gold and I got it a few days after release. It was on iOS7.0...:( Wish I didn't update...

I also really like iPhone 5's with iOS6...sold a bunch recently
 
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iChernov said:
As you can see - the topic is already dead. There were no need to separate it from iPods - a couple of posts wouldn't harm anyone, and here they are just dead and unseen.
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Apparently not so dead after all.
 
Why on earth/ how on earth would anyone collect these?

Did you steal them from people?

When I have an upgrade available, I sell the old one. I no understand you people...
 
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