Prototype 3rd Gen iPod Touches with Camera Appear on eBay - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Prototype 3rd Gen iPod Touches with Camera Appear on eBay

105711 Picture 1
Two prototype iPod touches were listed on eBay for a short time this morning before they were removed. The listing was first noted on our forums with photos posted by 9 to 5 Mac before the listing was removed. According to a YouTube video by Bilsta57, the original eBay description was the following:

"Well..These were R & D units..One wont turn off and has some wierd OS...or lack of firmware So it will be dead when you get it,,,but will power up when you plug it in...The other won't turn on has a brown spot on the screen. Both have cameras"

Blista57 also reports that when questioned about their origins, the auction seller wrote "Sorry... Have no idea... I bought them from a guy at a flea market and he bought them from a live auction here in the Bay Area."

iPod touches with a back-facing camera had been extensively rumored last fall. Photos and 3rd party case designs of the devices both suggested the existence of the units. Ultimately, however, it is believed that the feature was removed at the last minute, and tear downs of the final shipping 3rd Gen iPod touches revealed an empty space where a camera might reside.

105712 Picture 5105711 Picture 2105712 Picture 3105956 Picture 4
Note that these images seem to represent last year's prototype models of the currently shipping iPod touch, and not any future model.

Popular Stories

iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Get Two New Perks on iOS 27

Thursday July 2, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
If you pay for certain iCloud+ storage plans beyond the 5GB that Apple offers for free, you will receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost. A summary of the two new iCloud+ perks on iOS 27:Increased daily usage limits for some new Apple Intelligence features, including image generation in the revamped Image Playground app. HomeKit Secure Video cameras receive generated video...
American Express Gold Apple Pay Feature

American Express Announces New Apple Pay Feature

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:27 am PDT by
American Express today announced that you can now redeem Membership Rewards points when checking out with Apple Pay on the web and in apps on the iPhone and iPad. When checking out with Apple Pay on iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later, tap on your eligible American Express card (Platinum, Gold, Green, and others) and select the Membership Rewards points option. You can use points to cover all or...
series 10 apple watch titanium digital crown

Report: Apple Watch Redesign Coming Next Year With New Band System

Tuesday June 30, 2026 8:45 am PDT by
A "major overhaul" of the Apple Watch's design is due to arrive next year with a new system for connecting bands, according to a known Weibo leaker. In a set of recent posts, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" linked the new claim to older rumors about an "Apple Watch X" model, which was said to introduce a fresh design and break compatibility with the existing watch band system. Citing...

Top Rated Comments

AriX Avatar
211 months ago
Definitely real. I have personally used some of this prototype software before (except much older- it was pre-1.0 OS) including BurnIn, Operator, and SkankPhone.

Operator is a test suite that automatically tests several of the internal components of the device (seen here, mislabeled as BurnIn: http://theiphonewiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Image:1.jpg)

BurnIn is a much more comprehensive testing suite that is fully automatic. It tests components like NAND, RAM, and various system functions like reboots: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPpTROJ48aQ
It then dumps you into Operator on completion.

SkankPhone is a program with integrated mini-apps that show basic components of the phone. There is a phone component for making phone calls, a test thing for the camera, a HORRIBLE web browser, a media player that doesn't seem to work (probably because I didn't install the prototype OS correctly), a few simple games/tests, and a bunch more.

Unfortunately the prototype iPhone software I used to have running on my iPhone 1G has become corrupt somehow; eventually I'll reinstall it and make a YouTube video showing off SkankPhone and the pre-1.0 OS.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)