The European Union's decision to mandate a common USB-C charging port for all mobile phones may take another couple of years to come to fruition, but one iPhone user simply couldn't wait - and he's set to make a fortune from it.
Engineering student Ken Pillonel is selling his hacked iPhone X on auction site Ebay, with the top bid currently sitting at just over US$100,000 (NZ$140,000).
He originally posted a short video on YouTube showing how he switched Apple's proprietary Lightning port for the more widely used USB-C standard, along with proof it worked to both charge the phone and transfer data.
His listing describes it as the "world's first USB-C iPhone" and, depending on the Cupertino-based company's reaction to the proposed EU rules, it may be the only one that ever exists.
Earlier this year Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported the tech giants had no immediate plans to drop its Lightning port due to concerns that it could lower the waterproof rating of the iPhone.
That might mean it could skip straight from the Lightning port to a completely enclosed iPhone that only charges wirelessly.
Pillonel's original video has been watched nearly 1.4 million times on YouTube, with a longer, more detailed tutorial posted a couple of days ago already attracting over 200,000 viewers.
According to 9-to-5 Mac, the student basically created a miniature Lightning to USB-C adapter to fit inside the iPhone, but also had to modify the onboard C94 cihp that manages power to the device.
"It is a true piece of collection for any Apple fanboy out there. It would also make for some great content on Youtube," Pillonel wrote on Ebay.
However the winning bidder isn't going to be getting a phone they'll be using every day, with the hacker setting conditions for those wanting a piece of history.
Those include not restoring, updating or erasing the iPhone, not using it as a daily phone and not opening the unit up to look inside.
"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," he wrote.
"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."
As well as the 64GB black iPhone X the winner of the auction will also get a 30 minute call with Pillonel to answer any questions.
