An iPhone X was refitted with a USB-C connector by a robotics student, who subsequently sold it for a modest sum.
iPhone users have been wishing for a USB-C port to replace Apple’s exclusive Lightning port on the bottom of their smartphones for years. Tired of waiting for Apple, one fan took matters into his own hands and built the world’s first USB-C iPhone, which he then sold for a little profit.
Ken Pilloner, a Swiss robotics student, is the creator of a modified iPhone X, which he sold on eBay for $86,001 on Thursday, illustrating the huge desire for this functionality. Both the charging and data transmission functions are performed via USB-C.
“All I want is an iPhone with USB type-C. Why? Because everything I own has USB type-C, converting an iPhone would be a breeze. To charge everything, you just need one charger and one wire “Pillonel talked about it in a May blog post.
Pillonel released an explanation video in November describing his ambitious idea of retrofitting the iPhone with a USB-C connector. Everything from sourcing materials in China to reverse engineering Apple’s C95 connection, creating a bespoke circuit board, and packing USB-C components into the gadget was involved.
Though Pilllonel said that the customized iPhone X should not be updated, repaired, or used as a primary device, it had no problem attracting bids, starting at $3,500 on Tuesday and eventually reaching $100,000 (which was later withdrawn) before settling on the winning price.
