First iPhone modified with USB-C port has $100,100 bid on eBay

Last month we told you about an engineer by the name of Ken Pillonel who modified his Apple iPhone X to replace its Lightning port with a USB-C one. We know that many iPhone users have been calling for Apple to make this change for real because it might increase the number of third-party accessories that would work with the iPhone. And since the USB-C platform is not proprietary like the Lightning platform is, buying replacement cables and chargers for the iPhone might be cheaper.

While the European Union (EU) might eventually force Apple to turn to the USB-C port so that devices can share a common port cutting back on electronic waste, you can buy the actual iPhone X modded by Pillonel on eBay. But it will cost you a mint as the current top bid has hit six figures at $100,100. And once you buy it, it is yours since Pillonel says that there are no returns.

The soon-to-be wealthy engineer told Business Insider, "I'm quite surprised by the reaction. I believe the reason it's doing so well right now is that there hasn't really been a new collectible related to Apple put up for sale in recent times. So people who haven't had the chance to own an object like that are very interested in it. They view it as an investment."

Yes, whoever buys it will need to consider it an investment because the winner of the auction will be prohibited from actually using the device since it is considered a proof of concept. The bidding ends next Thursday at 11 am ET and so far 1,206 people have viewed the listing with 173 bids made. Bidding is now in increments of $100.

The engineer went searching for the cheapest iPhone he could find and the only advice he could find on the internet came from people warning others not to attempt to try the task. Pillonel said, "I believe the iPhone is one of the most-used consumer electronics device in the world that hasn't made the switch yet [to USB-C]."

He continued, "Quite a few people are frustrated about that, including me. Being an engineer, I'm always eager to learn new skills, and in this project I saw a lot of opportunity to do that. So for those reasons combined, I thought: 'Maybe I should be the one to do it!'"

With most phones in Europe using USB-C (thanks to the huge market share that Android commands around the world), the European Union sees an opportunity to force manufacturers of all devices to use the USB-C platform on the continent. Besides devices like smartphones and tablets, the EU wants to implement this on cameras, portable speakers, video game consoles, and headphones.

The EU wants universal fast charging, too. The goal is to make every device in Europe work with the same charger, which, by the way, the EU will not allow to be added with any of these devices right out of the box. But first things first; the proposal needs to pass a vote in the European Parliament after which manufacturers will have 24 months to comply with the new rules.

There are two reasons why Apple has not yet made the switch to USB-C. According to TF International's Ming-Chi Kuo, "Apple believes that USB-C is detrimental to the MFi business's profitability, and its waterproof specification is lower than Lightning and MagSafe."

Apple itself has claimed that switching from Lightning to USB-C would create an "unprecedented amount of electronic waste" and disrupt "hundreds of millions of active devices and accessories used by our European customers." 

Assuming that this passes, the first iPhone to have a USB-C port could be the iPhone 16 based on the timing of the EU's plan. Although by then, who knows? The iPhone 15 before it could end up totally portless.