The "world's first" iPhone with a type-C port is now up for auction - with more than one catch

Ken Pillonel recently went viral thanks to his by-now famous demonstration that an iPhone can in fact work with a USB type-C port. To briefly recap, this involved reverse-engineering a proprietary Apple connector to make it compatible with the more universal standard instead. The engineer was then able to use the device to transfer data as well as charge using its new port. Now, a lucky auction winner might get the chance to do the same soon.

The "world's first USB C iPhone" is now indeed to be found on eBay as a bid-only item. It has been listed by the Swiss-based user geeken, presumably (and, well, most hopefully) Pillonel's account on the global website.

Accordingly, the eventual winner may indeed need to by quite the "Apple fanboy", as geeken charmingly puts it in this unique item's description. However, the user also stresses that any such bids constitute an agreement that the prospective winner does not attempt to alter the software currently found on the considerably hacked iPhone in any way; use it as an everyday mobile device or even dissemble it themselves for a peek at the modded internals.

These strictures are presumably intended to help preserve the type-C functions of the "prototype" (originally a 64GB X in black), which might well ensue should iOS somehow detect its modifications, while preventing negative feedback should anything go wrong in any case.

Nevertheless, the eBay seller is throwing an up-to-30 minute 'tech support' call in, along with free worldwide shipping and a box (albeit without accessories) for the iPhone. Therefore, it might indeed make a nice and life-wish-fulfilling eBay purchase - which it might need to be, considering its current price.

At 7 days and 22 hours left on the auction's timer, the price for this possibly one-of-a-kind iPhone has already managed to shoot up to no less than US$4,950 at the time of writing.