An intrepid robotics engineer modified an iPhone X with a USB-C port instead of the Lightning port that is unique to Apple, and he has sold it on eBay for the neat sum of $86,001. Created by Kenn Pillonel, the phone can use the physical connector for both charging and transferring data. But the engineer has said that it should simply be used as a display piece, because using the device on a day-to-day basis or updating the software could break the iPhone.
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Pillonel has made the project completely open-source and available for others to replicate in a Github repository. It includes technical details, CNC instructions, and information on the custom PCB the design uses. Check out how he built the device below:
The eBay auction started at just $1, but bidding pushed up the price very quickly – by the end of the first day the top bid had already crossed the $3,000 mark. It then quickly reached $10,000 after that and kept climbing, with a total of 116 bids.
Although the prototype has now been sold, Pillonel has previously said he intends to continue working to improve elements like the USB-C iPhones’ fast-charging, waterproofing, and adding support for USB-C accessories. With the design open-sourced, and the prototype released into the world, it’s a project that’ll hopefully become a team effort.
In the eBay post, Pillonel said:
“I guarantee that the phone will work when you receive it but if you don’t follow the aforementioned guidelines, you are on your own. So basically, you can do whatever you want with it but don’t expect anything from me if you break something. It is just a prototype.”
With Apple having moved over to the USB-C standard for its Macbooks, many hoped it would make its way to iPhones sooner rather than later. That doesn’t seem to be on the cards anytime soon, though.
