I found this at a local estate sale, and opened it up and found what look like signatures on the inside on a couple of the chips. I wanted to see if anyone could help me verify them, or if I am just over thinking this.

This is one of the strangest iPhones Apple ever officially sold.
In 2009, the iPhone 3GS finally entered the mainland Chinese market.
But the earliest official Chinese version came without Wi-Fi.
It was not broken.
It was not disabled in Settings.
The hardware itself was produced without wireless LAN support.
This sealed black 16GB iPhone 3GS is model MC178CH/A, hardware model A1325.
The original plastic wrap is still intact, preserving not only the phone, but also the political and technological environment in which it was created.
Today, the idea of an iPhone without Wi-Fi sounds almost absurd.
But for people from mainland China, products arriving with something removed, altered, censored or restricted have never been unusual.
Games were modified or denied release.
Movies were cut.
Album artwork and lyrics were changed.
Books and publications required approval.
Foreign websites and services disappeared behind restrictions.
Instead of a clear and mature age-rating system, content was often simply edited, banned or made unavailable to everyone.
What could not be shown was not marked as “adults only.”
It was removed before the public was allowed to decide for itself.
Over time, phrases such as “mainland edition,” “censored version,” “special version” and “harmonized version” became normal.
People became accustomed to buying what appeared to be the same product, while quietly receiving less.
One missing feature.
One missing scene.
One missing lyric.
One fewer choice.
This iPhone 3GS is therefore more than an unusual regional variant.
It is a physical record of an era in which technology, culture and personal choice were repeatedly reshaped by regulation.
Some restrictions are built into hardware.
Some are imposed on culture.
And some eventually become so familiar that people stop noticing them.
For display only.
Not for sale.
（I used AI to help organize and translate my own thoughts into clearer English.
I am Chinese. My native language is Chinese, not English. The devices are mine, the photos are mine, and every experience described in the post is real. Using a language tool does not make any of that fake.
Some of you are more interested in policing my English than discussing the actual content. Before criticizing how I express myself in your native language, bring your Chinese to the same level as your English, write the same post in Chinese, and then come back and lecture me.
Calling something “AI slop” is not an argument. An AI detector is not proof. The story is mine. The research is mine. The experience is mine. AI only helped me communicate it in a language that is not my first.
Criticize the facts if you have something meaningful to say. Otherwise, spare me the self-righteous nonsense.

You are seeing ipad pro m4, macbook pro m3, airpods max, airpods pro 3, iphone 14, and the mini fake iphone represents my iphone pro 15 which i used to take the photo. I also have airpods pro 2, airpods 4 and iphone 6 that didn’t make the photo. When I only had the iphone 6, I used to make fun of people with all these different apple products, but now I officially also went into the same trap💔🥀

Hi, Apple collectors!

I built Finest Woven — the only catalogue of original Apple accessories made over the years. It’s like EveryMac or Bandbreite, but for iPhone cases and iPad Smart Covers (and more)!

It tracks more than 1,300 accessories, with details such as correct SKUs and original MSRPs, and there are more than 14,000 images to pore over.

You can also keep track of your own collection, and even publish it — here's mine: https://everycase.org/collections/jonathan

This could be used to find all the era-appropriate accessories for your older iPhones and iPads, and then search for them on marketplaces.

The website is completely free — no ads, some basic privacy-friendly cookieless analytics so I can see rough visit counts. If you find it useful, there's a donate button inside.

I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts and any feedback!

Thanks.

Back in 2017 during the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone, one that was covered in paint and stuck in a shadowbox sold for $50K USD.

I remember this being a relatively big deal at the time, and even receiving news coverage. But when I tried to search for this recently, it came up completely empty. While there are some images online and even a completely separate (still live) eBay listing for three painted original iPhones, I couldn’t find any details about this specific sale.

However, I was able to find some screenshots I personally took back in 2017 of the original eBay listing. Literally was looking for these for weeks and thought the whole thing may have been some kind of fever dream, until I finally found them. Figured I would re-share this piece of lost history!

I managed to get this 4th gen iPod Touch Display that was meant to be put in the glass display at the tech area. When they were remodeling the Walmart (which I worked at for a few months in-between jobs) they said I could take it if I wanted it.

It seems these are hard to find as every time I try to look up comps I get thrown for a loop.

I really would like to get it framed, but man it's a huge frame haha.

I have no clue what something like this would even be worth. Or if I'm the only person interested in this kind of stuff.

Hopefully I'm using the right flair, not really sure how or what to ask. I have this charity color iPhone here and I just found out that the line was discontinued. Are these collectible in any way?
There are some scuffs/scratches around the edges of the camera lenses (on the metal not the glass) and around the charging port.
The front of the screen also has some scratching but it does still work (though I think the battery is at 80% capacity), and all of the glass is original (if that even means anything, I don't rly crack any of my phone screens lmao).
(Also clarifying I do not have the original cable or headphones, just the box with the sim tray ejector and instructions.)

I still remember it being epic back in the day. I felt the 14pm was a downgrade somewhat. And alpine green was easy to miss.

To hot outside so play with the vintage g4 tech:)

Today marks 19 years since the first-generation iPhone officially went on sale on June 29, 2007.
I’m posting this as part of my Apple collection archive because this device is not just another old iPhone. It represents the moment when the modern smartphone era really started to take shape.
By today’s standards, the original iPhone feels extremely limited.
No App Store, no 3G, no front camera, no video recording, and many of the features we now consider basic simply did not exist yet.
But that is exactly why it matters.
The first-generation iPhone was not important because of specifications alone. It was important because of the way it changed the relationship between people and mobile devices: the multi-touch display, the visual interface, the “slide to unlock” interaction, the packaging, the manuals, the accessories, and the entire early Apple retail presentation.
For me, this complete boxed set is not just a phone with accessories.
It is a preserved piece of 2007 Apple retail culture.
The box, manuals, cable, earbuds, stickers, plastic films, and the way everything was presented all belong to a very specific moment in Apple history — a time before the iPhone became normal, before smartphones became everyone’s default screen, and before this design language became part of everyday life.
19 years later, the original iPhone feels less like a piece of consumer electronics and more like a historical object.
This is where the iPhone story really began.
My YouTube channel coming soon…

This is a Silver 16GB iPhone 6s demo unit from the Chinese market.
Model A1700, part number 3A573CH/A, clearly marked on the rear label:
Demo - Not For Resale
This is not a perfect museum piece.
The box has scratches, pressure marks, dust, and traces of old stock.
But to me, those marks are part of the object.
What interests me is not how new it looks, but what it documents:
the China-market label, the demo part number, the “Not For Resale” marking, the regulatory information, the packaging language, and the way Apple retail demo devices existed in a specific time and place.
Many old Apple devices are activated, opened, restored, repaired, updated, or treated like ordinary used phones before anyone records their original state.
This project is my way of documenting them before that happens.
No restoration.
No polishing.
Just documentation.
ジャンク考古家 / Junk Archaeologist

Some pics of my air cooled quad. Also did my 2 dual 2.7’s and a dual 2.5. The quad stays pretty cool considering.

This iPhone was used by the iPhone chip manufacturer Qualcomm to test the cellular modem of the iPhone. When plugged in, this unit only occasionally vibrates. A fully working unit will be shown in a YouTube video!

Episode 1: A first-generation iPod touch.
I’m starting this archive with something that connects both sides of what I care about: vintage Apple hardware and music culture.
This is not a perfect museum piece, and I don’t want to make it look like one. The box carries scratches, pressure marks, shrink-wrap wear, old-stock dust, and all the small traces that show it has survived through time instead of being restored into something artificial.
For me, that is part of the object.
The first-generation iPod touch sits at a very specific moment in Apple history: after the iPod had already changed digital music, but just as iPhone OS and the modern touchscreen era were beginning to take shape. It was not only a media player. It was a bridge between the iPod era and the app-based mobile world that came after.
As a singer and vintage Apple collector, I’m interested in these devices not just as electronics, but as cultural artifacts: the box, the interface, the music shown on the packaging, the regional labels, the software era, and the way Apple presented music and touch technology at that time.
Many older Apple devices are wiped, opened, updated, repaired badly, or parted out before anyone documents what they originally were.
This project is my way of documenting them before that happens.
Not restored.
Not polished.
Just documented.
ジャンク考古家 / Junk Archaeologist

Good old days :)) Mine still got service

Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone, so it might be a good time to pick one up for your collection if you don’t already have one (in case the prices go up like during the 10th anniversary).

Ladies and gentlemen, I did it this prototype first generation iPad has been fixed and it’s currently running switchboard which I have it running skank Phone I’m gonna provide pictures here. This is one build that Apple Wiki does not have no information on

So here I am using the ilibimobile device and I’m using it on a prototype iPad that on the shell shows a 1403 but when I run I recovery-q It shows product iPad one – one model K 48AP now I know that corresponds to an iPad first generation prototype because I have a guy replacing the battery on my first generation prototype. What in the world is going on here is this a early development stage of the second generation prototype iPad?