A few months ago, we provided details of an auction that featured a Mac that had been given to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry by Apple. If you missed your chance to pick up that prime item, now you have an opportunity to own an Apple that is even more rare: an Apple-1 (also known as the Apple I) that's currently on auction on eBay.

The starting bid for the Apple-1 is US$50,000. What do you get with your winning bid? A non-working Apple 1 motherboard, the original shipping box (with the return address being the home of Steve Jobs' parents), and the original manual, complete with schematics on how to take the motherboard and build a workable computer out of it.

There's also a tape interface card, used to load or save software from cassette tapes. The card comes with a manual and a cassette with a typed label that says "BASIC" on it.

If you're a fan of Steve Jobs, you'll want two of the items that are included. The first is a letter signed by Steve Jobs that explains how to connect a keyboard and monitor to the computer, and telling the buyer (someone who wanted to be a dealer) when dealer applications would be available. The second is a hand-typed invoice for the computer, showing "Steven" as the salesman for the machine.

The original full-page advertisement for Apple was included with each Apple-1. This features the original Apple "Isaac Newton" logo that was designed by the third founder of Apple, Ronald Wayne. Wayne also wrote the Apple-1 manual. Finally, you'll get a photograph of every other owner of this computer. The existing owner has a picture of himself, the computer, and Steve Wozniak that he's including.

If you're the successful bidder, you are asked to travel to Roseville, California to pick it up due to the irreplaceable nature of the Apple-1. A gallery of the photos included in the auction can be viewed below. And remember, this could be the perfect holiday gift for that special someone...

Want an iPhone app business without all the boring hassle of actually programming and releasing iPhone apps? Boy, does Brice Milliorn have a deal for you! He's auctioning off his iPhone app business, which he says has 87 different apps for sale, over on eBay.

Milliorn says he started out developing apps on his own, but the business is just too big for him to keep up so he's selling all of the apps and their rights, all of the source code, and technical support for two months to transition everything over to the new owner. He doesn't specifically say that he'll transfer the developer account on Apple's App Store to your name (he says he'll send over a DVD with the source code and transfer "the whole kit and caboodle" to you), but we presume that's what will happen -- of course if you go for it, you're doing this at your own risk.

What will a burgeoning App Store business, complete with apps like iSexyRef and Swine Flu cost you? Just a cool $100 grand. That's the starting bid in the eBay auction, which has just over a week left and no bids as of this writing. There are certainly less expensive ways to get started selling apps on the store. It only costs $100 to register in Apple's Developer Program for a year, and then you just need to find a developer you can pay -- or even do it yourself with a helper service).

If you'd rather start off with a bunch of marginal to silly 99-cent apps and happen to have an extra $100,000 lying around to spend (maybe for a nice holiday gift?), here's your opportunity.

When I opened my iPhone 3GS, I was surprised to find that the power adapter was nothing but a little 2-prong AC plug (I live in the US) that allowed you to plug in the standard USB to 30-pin connector to charge the phone.

I wanted to get a spare; checking online told me that the Apple Store wanted US$29 for the little plug, which just seemed like too much for too little, so I went shopping.

On eBay I found a bunch of auctions based in Hong Kong selling what looked like the exact same thing for anywhere from under around $2-4, and they often included the USB cable to boot.

I ordered four from a vendor and after a few weeks received them. They looked perfect, right down to the little green dot -- but none of them worked. They might start charging, but after a few minutes the iPhone would beep a few times and I would be informed that "this accessory is not compatible." And so it went for all four pieces. After sending some pictures back and forth and reading a few emails containing a combination of surprise and amazement from the vendor, my money was refunded.

Undaunted, or maybe just dumb, I went back to eBay and found another vendor that claimed to be selling, "100% Brand New Original OEM Charger and Original OEM USB Cable for iPhone/iPod" for around US$4. I just checked eBay and found this same vendor raising the price to US$10 in one auction and lowering it to $US.01 in another.

At first I was going to wait until December when I could upgrade my 3G iPhone to a 3G S for the best price, but the thought of that better camera resolution and video was slowly gnawing away at my resolve. I wanted a new iPhone (damn you Apple!), but I had to do something about my current model. Putting it in the drawer that has become my 'Museum of Obsolete Technology' didn't seem like a great (or cost-effective) solution. Selling it to friends is tough because most already have iPhones and are in the same boat I'm in. We've even offered some good tips in the past here at TUAW.

Then I remembered that when I upgraded to the iPhone 3G I sold my iPhone online. eBay wasn't offering much back then, so after some research I settled on NextWorth. They are one of a number of companies that will give you real cash for gadgets, and they had a good reputation. Prices depend on demand and change daily. With my old first generation iPhone, I sent it in with all my accessories and received a check back in 2-3 weeks. It was all pretty painless.

I checked them again this time, and they were offering US$280.00 for my 16GB iPhone. I've gathered all my accessories and will send it in when I get the new iPhone. That 280 clams makes the whole trade up quite a bit less painful. I also like this method rather than selling to a friend because of the "something is sure to go wrong with the phone the day after I sell it" factor.

Our readers will have their own stories and suggestions. Let's hear them -- and one tip. Before you engage with any company try a site like ReSeller Ratings or do some targeted Google searches to see how other people did with them. I might have gotten more money for the phone using another method, but the route I went has no risk and offered a reasonable trade in value.

Other online companies that buy iPhones include Gazelle, BuyMyTronics and CashforiPhones. That's not an exhaustive list, and be sure to check reputations. Searching on "sell your iPhone" at Google is a good place to start. There's also Craigslist, but you have to be careful. There have been a lot of rip-offs.

One final tip. When you sell the little darling, be sure to do a secure erase first. It takes a while, but protects you from selling your data along with your phone.

I'm looking forward to the new iPhone but hate the thought of buying the next model and the next. What's a geek to do?

A set of iPhone prototypes from 2006 briefly made the eBay rounds this morning, with bids running more than $2,000 for the two phones (one non-working) before Apple managed to get the listing yanked sometime during the day [although we now have reports that a sale was completed before the listing went down -Ed.]. The seller also made a YouTube video documenting the features on the phone -- while that too was pulled down due to Apple exerting its copyright, Engadget managed to salvage it and now has it up on its site.

The prototype hints at several features that did not make it to the final version of the iPhone, including a possible option for video phone calls and games. The video is well worth watching. Even though the auction was pulled, we still manage to get a peek at the process that led to the phone unveiled in early 2007. We also have a glimpse of the iPhone at its most basic levels, something that will be an asset to developers.

Update: A similar prototype is shown in this Flickr set as noted below.

This is probably old news for most classic Mac collectors, but it's the first I've heard of it: a member of the forums at MacRumors.com bought a MacBook Air "as is" on eBay, and when it showed up, he got something even more valuable than the envelope-filler: a prototype version. As you can see above, there's no "MacBook Air" nameplate under the monitor, and hardware inside is dated to May of 2007, which is way before Apple officially announced the machine.

Apparently someone given an early working version of the notebook has already moved on to the new [REDACTED] that Apple is working on, and has sold off their old prototype of the Air. Very cool -- as I said, collectors know that there are prototypes floating around out there still, but this is the first I've heard of the phenomenon. And I like that it's almost a time capsule back into the beginnings of the product we know now as the Air -- the model name given in the software just says "Mac," so this predates the name we associate with the machine. You wonder what would have happened to a system like this if it hadn't actually gone into production and been released.

There are many iPhones and iPhone 3Gs being sold right now, and not just at Apple and AT&T Stores. If you're thinking about selling your old iPhone to get a little spendin' cash, here are some simple tips for you:

Tip #1 - Pick a reasonable price. What's reasonable? Anything close to whatever other sellers are asking. A lot of 8GB iPhones are selling on eBay in the range of $325 - $450. Will you get that much? Who knows? That's the "joy" of online auctions.

Tip #2 - Show 'em the merchandise. People want to know what they're getting, so always take closeup pictures of everything that's included in the sale. eBay has special rules for iPhone sales:



The gist of the message? If you're selling an iPhone, put your User ID on all photos to prove you have the iPhone in your hot little hands. Sigh.

Tip #3 - Don't want to sell it on eBay? You can always try Craigslist, or you can get a guaranteed price buy selling it to a broker who will turn around and probably sell it on eBay. Some of these brokers include NextWorth (buying 8GB iPhones for $202) and Rapid Repair ($150). That's not as good a deal for you, but definitely a lot less hassle than eBay.

Have you sold your first-generation iPhone? Leave a comment telling us how you sold yours, and how much you made on the sale.

So like a gadzillion people have asked me: "What do I do with my old iPhone now that I'm upgrading to a spiffy new 3G unit?" I thought about doing a top ten list. I thought about clever and amusing ways to use an old iPhone. But seriously, it just comes down to this. So read my lips.

Jailbreak it. Unlock it. Give it away or sell it. The end.

Get yourself a copy of iLiberty+ or ZiPhone or whatever tool you like. Once unlocked, you can sell it for a badzillion dollars on eBay, because contrary to what I originally thought, AT&T isn't going to let you walk away with a new 3G iPhone without signing over your first born, your personal bank account and possibly your soul. So the demand for 1st gens is going to go through the roof (as will the demand for posthumous mobile air conditioning units once AT&T is through with you). Over at Google, those $250 refurb iPhones from a few weeks back are going for $500 and up. Ebay has relative bargains at $350 and up.

If you have a child, a spouse, a dog or any other loved one, you can now give them the phone with a T-Mobile or AT&T SIM and they're good to go. If any of these loved ones are foreigners ("votre chien", for example, in the case of those north of the border but within the Quebecois borders), they should be able to use a non-US SIM in the unlocked unit (i.e. "Le Rogers Fido").

As we've posted before, AT&T says it will reset your contract to 2 years once you get the new iPhone, so your old one will be completely free, clear, and contract-free. No one (except, perhaps, your dog) will sanction you for unlocking it.

The Boylston Street Apple Store opening in Boston was entertainment for all, especially Bostonians. The unveiling was almost as much fun as the facade. Among the souvenirs floating around, at least one is worthy of special note, as the sale of it will benefit more than just the lucky buyer.

Rescued from the dumpster and lovingly restored (to the best of the seller's ability, anyway), a chunk of the Apple logo that stood front and center on the "Green Monster" facade is up on eBay. All of the proceeds from the auction will be going to boston2portland, a bike ride to raise money for the cure of Parkinson's disease. You might not need a monolithic, duct-tape-textured, decorative piece of Apple history. But, maybe you'll bid for the benefit of a worthy cause and pass the spoils on to someone with too many bare walls, a love of all things Apple and very fond feelings for Fenway Park.

Check out the auction here.

I don't eBay nearly enough to use a completely separate application just to browse through it, but if you do you'll probably be interested in GarageBuy, a free download from Iwascoding. They also make GarageSale, an eBay buying-and-selling program that I've heard good things about, but GarageBuy is committed specifically to browsing around eBay. If you want to browse for auctions without using eBay's old school (and frankly, clunky) interface, GarageBuy might be just the ticket.

They've just updated to version 1.1, with a whole lot full of new features. There's a new view that features a cool color-coded price tag (to tell you whether you're winning the auction or not), a countdown timer to show remaining auction time, and a slick little sliding thumbnail view for the auction's images. Plus, there's a whole bunch of other performance improvements.

And the best part is: it's all free. GarageBuy is freeware (and if you like it, check out GarageSale) over on the website.

[via Macworld]

Combining two of our little trends lately, retroware and eBay vintage, here's the motherload for any NeXT fan-- a complete (and boy do I mean complete) set of NeXT computer cube stuff on eBay.

Holy cow that's a lot of stuff-- he's a matching grayscale (!) display and speakers, all the cables, a spare motherboard, all the books and discs, and even the original sticker sheet. Who keeps the sticker sheet?!? The thing even still runs Omniweb (inside NeXTSTEP 3.3 patch 2), and he's got a screenshot of Google up and working.

So how much will it run you? Currently, the auction is at $710 with a business week left to go even higher, but seriously now-- how much is it worth to you to get a little piece (or in this case, a lot of pieces) of non-Apple Jobs?

Thanks, Richard! (who saw it on Boing Boing)

After we posted that neon Apple sign a little while back, reader Franco thought we'd get a kick out of this Apple flag for sale on eBay, and he was right. The best news is that right now, it's sitting pretty at only $10 (reserve not yet met, though) flying upwards-- what are you TUAW readers, rich?-- so you could own a little piece of Apple history for cheap.

As for dating it, the page says the 80s. No mention of Macintosh might put it before 1984, but that's just a guess-- Apple IIs were known as the first "personal computers" and those were made all the way up until the early 1990s. I really love those fonts, though, and of course the rainbow logo is a classic.

Whether you make a living from buying and selling on eBay or you merely sell off your basement junk when it gets too crowded down there, iSale is a fantastic eBay client that merges the wonders of Mac OS X with the world's leading online marketplace. Offering beautiful tempaltes, WYSIWYG auction composing, integration with iCal, Address Book and iSight, a Dashboard widget for monitoring auctions, Google Maps and worlds more, iSale has everything you need to get your eBay on.

Like so many other web-integrated Mac OS X apps, however, iSale was hit with compatibility issues if users installed the Safari 3 beta. Fortunately, a couple of recent updates have fixed those issues and added over 30 new templates to bring the grand total to more than 200 different auction templates, organized by category. With a wide variety of template styles, imagery and layouts, you'll be hard pressed to not find something that'll fit just about anything you post for auction.

This most recent v4.2 of iSale is a free upgrade for registered 4.x users, and a demo is available. A single user license costs $39.95, while family packs start at $49.95 and go up from there.

Macenstein points to the ultimate Mac collector's item, a 6-foot neon version of the rainbow Apple logo (which, you'll remember with the help of Wikipedia, was used up until Jobs turned the logo one solid color in 1999), up for sale on eBay. Now you too can own a gigantic neon piece of Apple's history, sure to turn even the most casual Apple user green with envy. Or at least green with something-- having colored neon lights in your field of view all day can't be that good for your health.

But still, someone wants it-- there are 17 bids so far, and even at $4350 as of this writing, the reserve hasn't been met. The sign itself is in Huntsville, Alabama (at an Apple authorized dealer who doesn't need it anymore), and they're offering to ship to anywhere in the contiguous 48, or you can come by and grab it yourself.

People, people, people. The phone's not shipping yet. It's not out yet. It's not even approved by the FCC! So why -- why on earth -- would anyone with the slightest degree of common sense bid almost one thousand dollars on eBay just for the privilege of getting ripped off? Wow.

Three auctions for iPhones from the same single seller... shame on you, rgonzales23455; no wonder you've got no feedback. "Please note: I have 6 of these phones available for immediate shipping.. I accept Paypal only for this auction.. Free shipping via USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation.. Will ship immediately after payment clears Monday - Friday." Uh-huh, sure you will. These auctions close soon, folks, get your bids in now -- NOT.

Thanks to reader David Miller, who took time off from his Mac mini car integration project to give us the heads-up on the sad state of iPhone auctions over eBay way. As the expression goes here in Brooklyn: "Oy."

Update 9am EDT: The original auction has closed, with a winning bid of $1125... *sigh*.