MKBHD Bought and Unboxed an Original $40,000 iPhone

A lot happened this week! First, Marques and Andrew discuss the full story behind the original iPhone that Marques won at an auction for $40,000. After that, we try out a new segment that Marques has dubbed "Headlines in a hat" where they (you guessed it) pick out a few headlines from a hat to talk about. They go over everything from the new Polestar 4 to the Spotify redesign and some other quirky topics as well. We round it out with David calling in from Iceland to take part in trivia. This was a fun one!
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:11 OG iPhone story time
23:52 Trivia question
24:25 Ad break
24:52 TikTok-ification of Spotify
31:53 Apple Wallet
37:14 Marques rants about blinds
41:56 Trivia question
43:06 Ad break
43:27 Apple selling refurbished Mac Pro
49:53 Polestar 4
58:44 Netflix "Love is Blind"
01:06:24 Trivia answers
01:14:53 Outro
Links:
iPhone unboxing: bit.ly/mkbhdsealediphone
Refurbished Mac Pro: apple.co/3V9F9M5
"Love is Blind" mess: bit.ly/3KW3mAB
Spotify redesign: bit.ly/wvfrmspotifyredesign
Brandon's wallet video: bit.ly/BrandonAppleFolderWallet
Polestar 4: bit.ly/wvfrmpolestar4
Shop the merch:
shop.mkbhd.com
Twitters:
Waveform: / wvfrm
Marques: / mkbhd
Andrew: / andymanganelli
David: / durvidimel
Adam: / adamlukas17
Ellis: / ellisrovin
Instagram:
/ wvfrmpodcast
TikTok:
/ waveformpodcast
Join the Discord:
/ discord
Music by 20syl:
bit.ly/2S53xlC
Waveform is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

[@theCoulombCounter]

I'm an Apple engineer and "gdlocal" is the name we use with internal testing software. For example, the MacBooks we have in our labs have a default user called gdlocal. I don't know the history or reasoning behind the name but I've seen it many times.

[@bipulpandey2115]

Don't lie. You are the guy who scammed Marques. I don't believe your words😅😅.

[@erickail8979]

@@bipulpandey2115 And who is Marcus?

[@bipulpandey2115]

@@erickail8979 edited. 😅😅

[@crazyaboutspace]

True

[@gustav_jamini]

@@bipulpandey2115 lol

[@ashwikraj8166]

Mac will never be forgotten. RIP to the best studio dog :(

[@CalebCarterFilm]

wait what!!!!!

[@sameerasw]

F

[@bipulpandey2115]

There should have been a segment about mac.

[@pyrofestimo]

@@bipulpandey2115 sir, this is a tech channel

[@bipulpandey2115]

@@pyrofestimo I know that. But a 2-minute segment would have sufficed. We have been watching Mac for years.

[@rizakatsudon]

I'm so happy that the whole team just keeps bringing up the $40,000 price tag

[@OAlfonso]

that's 1/8 for a robot arm like theirs, it's a lot

[@TrentonsTech]

I watched that yesterday and I now I miss all of the stuff we used to get with older phones, now all we get is a box and some stickers 😂

[@VaalkinTheOnly]

Me, scrolling through KZbin with my brand new fancy cardboard box

[@randomstuff0069]

For those who wondering about 360p MKBHD said :- " KZbin processing is taking longer than usual"

[@benedettaekwuru4733]

Thanks I was wondering just that

[@RAGHAV4882]

MKB360P

[@bipulpandey2115]

Okey. I was thinking about that.

[@AS-kw8qn]

@@RAGHAV4882 mkbSD

[@tavasoli]

2007 original iPhone and 2007 video quality. Genius

[@imchunliimsubzero]

I used to work at apple and can confirm GD local is a default naming for testing products

[@FinneasJedidiah]

One thing I've heard from older people regarding sideview/rearview mirrors, is that it can be hard to switch focus so close to be able to see the screen, when it doesn't matter for a mirror since your focal point is still so far away

[@jmunt]

Last night, I ordered the Studio T-shirt and the Windbreaker. My subtotal was $69.00. After tax and shipping, my total was $83.69. I'm not proud of it, but I did giggle. Then I had a dream I was on the run from the police, and when I was waking up in my own bed, for a moment, still half-asleep, I thought "idiot! they'll find you in your own house!" and I spent a few seconds planning which window to escape through before I realized it had been a dream. Now you may think those stories aren't related, but for me it's been a privately, strangely entertaining last 12 hours, and I needed to share it. Hope you have a strangely entertaining rest of your day!

[@danieltiwana983]

lmao quite the story!

[@beholdgraphics]

Happy Easter Andrew! And I loved when his mom participated in the podcast! great printscreen can be framed or become a t-shirt 😆

[@Tech-Tempest]

Respect for the Kirkland sweatshirt Andrew!

[@jonathanlee7487]

Always waiting for the Waveform podcasts episodes!

[@luismacho8918]

Genuinely love the audio fades and adjustments in your videos so satisfying genuine eargasm.

[@GeoffreySorensen]

Thank you, Andrew, for talking about the Waze Android Auto redesign. I thought it was just me who was annoyed by having a harder time to find work/home! I don't feel alone anymore. :-)

[@Manganellia1]

Funny enough the last time I used it work/home were listed. Maybe just needed to like get used to my driving habits again? But glad it wasn't just me!

[@quinnkirlew9892]

Also it seems now google maps no longer lets you sort searches by distance, only relevance and "for you", whatever the hell that means.

[@sayjor]

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 has the side mirrors MKBHD was talking about at 56:06, with the cameras outside, and the screen inside the car.

[@AdamTyree]

Andrew is such a troll with the assistant call-outs, I love it lmao

[@yogeshbhumkar]

One drawback of camera based rear view mirror is that If the camera fails for some reason (could be due to high heat), you lost a mirror and you need to now potentially pay a lot more just so you can look at back. until that you cannot drive the car safely and potentially could be illegal too.

[@quinnkirlew9892]

I don't think lack of a rearview mirror is illegal, at least here in America. However, I agree about the lack of safety, I used to work and drive for the postal service and basically having to rely on memory of what's behind you is definitely sketchy.

[@adelaantosova2668]

recommend watching with some beers in, much fun :D Amazing episode :D

[@origosis]

I do not recall the steps involved, but early enterprise iPhone 1, 2g, 3g, and ipad enterprise deployments. We went to the retail store to pickup our orders. Walking through the mall with dozens of iPhone and iPad every time a new model launched. The initial Apple Enterprise setup was very wonky but all of these devices were tied to us ahead of time in some way.

[@R456jen]

I believe it started it with 2g, 3g, 3gs. 4, 4s etc

[@apocalypse487]

Antique furniture is a big thing. Plus it really changes the look of your home.

[@NicVandEmZ]

The iPhone was part of a special edition or limited release designed exclusively for the Chinese market, which included the "GD local rights" label as a unique feature.

[@MarkHawk]

I've always had Waze issues with giant black boxes over the road UI. It worsens when it pops up hazards that remove important driving directions from the top and again covers the road with non-transparent boxes. I either need to turn those warnings off or quickly try to dismiss them while driving.

[@tirzahflood4627]

Omg thank you so much you saved me on New Year’s Day! Xoxo forever

[@nickyg2x]

I have bought the wallet to support MKBHD already. I had goosebump when you unbox the OG iPhone.

[@Milele]

Same as here! Mine arriving in Australia on the 10/05/23

[@dylanguerrero8053]

MK360P. Already listened to the Audio Episode lol.

[@memediatek]

The talk of cameras instead of mirrors just reminds me of trains. Passenger trains quite often have cameras aimed at the doors mounted to the exterior of the train, and the driver can monitor the cameras from within the cab

[@Sapphireblossom22]

Andrew you were a part of the lucky few who were actually able to watch the Love is Blind reunion live after the 90 minute wait. We were told the reunion would no longer be live after waiting 90 mins and that they would get the video up later that evening. Welp...that didn't happen either lmao 🤣. Woke up in the morning to see the episode available then suddenly disappear and be told guess what?! Our fault again guys now you have to wait until 3pm to watch the episode 🤣🤣🤣🤣 So for many of us the reunion did not ever air "Live", it kept getting pushed back multiple times, until the following afternoon.

[@benhillard919]

With regards to the polestar rearview mirror thing. I could easily see a software update causing the mirror to bug out occasionally.

[@houseofmargo]

Love that Colin & Samir promo! Great guys 🫶

[@neuspel]

Polestar 4 still has a usual mirror. But you can switch it to the display. So you can still watch your rear seat occupants.

[@14Mechatronics]

That zoom @ 25:40. Editors are killing it!

[@HardyOh]

Same day recording as the IONIQ6 Auto Focus video right? Edit: Also love the Costco sweatshirt that Andrew is rockin

[@Frankienoname0]

My Tilt smart shades have never broken on me. I have 14 of them for 2 years going strong, no issues. Easy purchasing (one price regardless of size), and is solar powered (but I just charge them instead and it last ls months.

[@nathanfife2890]

I think I understand the printer thing, I guess that my printer doesn't get used maybe as much as others but I've had the same laserjet printer for probably 6 years? I've replaced the toner once and it's never had a problem as far as I can tell

[@DaKatzPajamas]

I can't unhear Tina Belcher's voice from Bob's Burgers when Andrew talks.

[@Ramseytex]

Lutron Caseta shades work really well. I've had them in two homes and while you do have to replace batteries every few years they just work really well.

[@AS-kw8qn]

Kirkland drip go crazy tbh 😁

[@jordancassidy03]

RIP Mac. 🙏🏽🐶

[@_daniel.rad_]

Rip bro...... 😢

[@arnavtripathi1610]

Don't tell me, has he really passed away?😢

[@_daniel.rad_]

@@arnavtripathi1610 yeah, sad to say but he passed away on last Friday....

[@mon699]

Whaaaattt

[@_daniel.rad_]

@@mon699 yeah... 🥺🥺

[@REVIEWSONTHERUN]

Interesting! Cool video! ✌️

[@sirlookatme]

Set up Rclone correctly, so that they have mounted a GDremote: to local as: rclone mount GDremote: GDlocal --daemo Reach out for more info if you’re interested guys.

[@wil8785]

I got a harddrive that can activate that phone. Nice windows XP installation from 2008. I could close the HDD to an ISO and send it over. Then you dd it to a new drive and plop it into maybe 32 bit computer (not sure how cross compatible that is anymore).

[@TeaganAtwater]

RE the shades & Google Assistant controlling fewer and fewer with time: I'm seeing that with my GE smart lights too - I have a routine for which ones go on (and what brightness) when I come home, but for the past few months fewer and fewer come on when I get home, and at incorrect brightnesses. I honestly think it's Google Assistant degrading... My Home Minis are definitely worse overall at responding appropriately and doing what I ask than they were when I bought them! Anyone else experiencing this?!

[@Put_money_where_it_makes_money]

It also had a SIM card in it, so the SIM card could have been pre-installed for the person that actually bought it

[@akinniyivictor1801]

I remember i had a Samsung sound system then that came with a 30pin iPhone dock. Used it for my iPhone 3Gs then, good times.

[@ankur313]

44:45 - I currently work for a big global company and we still have WinXP machines scattered around the globe !!!

[@sp3lllz]

did you check what the name of the user account on the computer you used to activate the iphone? thats what itunes pulls from for the name on windows and macos

[@MTOKC]

Back in 2009, my brother in law gifted me an original iPhone to use as an iPod, and after experience a refresh I received the activation screen and was only able to clear it once the phone was activated by AT&T-since it was the sole service provider. Perhaps the error is it needing a sim activation?

[@MisterSixty]

Tidal plays songs after a playlist ends. Their continuations are so good I thought I had put all of the songs in the list!!

[@pikapeww]

So glad Spotify undid this update for me. I had that feed thing for like 2 weeks and I really hated it. It's back to normal now and I'm so happy

[@quantumforce4791]

wow so early im watching MKBHD in 360p....i might wait and watch this later lmao

[@JCIKT]

GD is the initials of the company that made the cingular wireless SIM cards. If I had to guess it probably pulled that out of the SIM card since cingular isn't a thing anymore and since 2g isn't available anymore either.

[@702johnny]

These podcast have become on of my favorite things to watch/listen to.

[@sh8736]

I want to know the weather in the morning? I pull up the blind and look out the window! Works perfectly every time 😅

[@GoStormPlays]

Imagine Marques gets the iphone, takes it out of the crate, shows it to the camera, and immediatly drops it. That's what I call "Copying Linus but you take it too far"

[@mcirone]

Funny you jokes about the Apple dongle/headphone jack. I had the 4gb iPhone 2G and needed a special Belkin headphone adapter to be able to use non-Apple headphones. The headphone jack was recessed on the original model to push users towards Apple headphones 🙃

[@iel3m3nt]

Thumbs up for the Kirkland sweater!

[@joannavaldez]

Little pet peeve here, but can you guys put the episode number somewhere on the description, if not, the title of the episode? Please and thank you.

[@Jawnderlust]

Sounds like he’s stuck in the Spotify Music sub tab and just can’t get out, maybe frozen or a glitch in the UI

[@AlexTaylor19]

I acually saw that iMac today, and I'm like is this some sort of sick joke 😂

[@ItzSlushie]

For the low quality video usually they unlist the video before releasing the video so KZbin can process it full for max quality

[@Q_QQ_Q]

link ?

[@midnight_yota]

Conveyor belt roast beef 🤣🤣

[@_daniel.rad_]

My Friday therapy "WVFRM PODCAST"

[@imtheonlyenemy99]

Could they try using a old mac from when the iPhone came out maybe that will work to activate it

[@kalMHe]

This is craziness, nothing else, unless you have a plan to start a program where you would buy items from years ago and speak about them in your channel. I love your channel, though Marques!!

[@batterieman3001]

56:18 it surprises me that Marques does not know this, but there are quite a few cars that already have camera side mirrors, e.g. the Honda e had it for the past 4 years and it's optional on the Audi (Q8) e-tron and Ioniq 5. Also Mercedes offers it on some of their trucks.

[@B4CK4REVENGE]

My theory is it has to do with the old version of I tunes being run having been acquired through open source archives and someone having ripped and uploaded the source code of an installed copy which already was named, and it just automatically named it or something.

[@antwainski]

Andrew my Spotify was like that a few weeks ago and I couldn’t stand it but it randomly updated back to the old and good format. I think they’re testing it on some users

[@kapiljanyani8413]

Could GDLocal be realted to the person in who's name the contract was signed. Or something related to the contract the iphones used to come with in the US.

[@Owen_Gallagher]

Is anyone else stuck at 360p quality, Probably just me, but I can't fix it.

[@mavfan1]

happens all the time when uploading takes a while.. just have to wait

[@Owen_Gallagher]

@@mavfan1 ok, thanks

[@BatteryBro]

Could stand for global developer but kind of odd to have that shipped to production. Our default email is global developer and we have former Apple developers. Global generally refers to the extreme permissions afforded to a developer account.

[@shreyassatpute8709]

How much more time for 1080p oof, don't wanna watch it in 360p

[@bj_]

The Sushi analogy would make Spotify the Brazilian steakhouse of UX lol

[@burnhamrobertp]

European markets allow for side view mirrors to be replaced with cameras, and several models sold in Europe are equipped without side view mirrors. US legislature doesn't allow for that, yet. If you do not have a driver side external mirror, the vehicle isn't street legal.

[@stuffy613]

Are you guys going to talk about the Starship launch next week?

[@NiklasGrip]

So you can get a brand new Polestar 4 2024 for the same price as one of those first iPhones from 2007. I know which one I would choose! 😂🤣

[@pdempsey]

One small request: can y'all timestamp the trivia questions to before the song? Not that tapping back 20 seconds is that horrific of an experience or anything but I'm guessing other viewers would appreciate it also. Keep on keeping on...

[@jfreshh330]

Andrew’s got that Costco drip. Anyone else remember from Lew Later?

[@TheBarrettCompound]

I tried to jump on the Apple IPhone train when the IPhone 5 came out. Took it back for the S3, I've been a loyal Samsung customer since. killed me when the Note went away. I'm happy with the S23 Ultra now. It's like the best of both Note and S series + all in one. ✊🏽Customization for the W! Can't have my phone looking like everyone else's that has it!😂😂

[@blogg33]

I have the new Spotify but didn't even notice because I don't scroll that far down :)

[@kelseyito9227]

It belongs in a museum!

[@AlexSanchezber]

I miss you David.

[@DavidImel]

❤️

[@MileyPit]

Naaaaaa 360p for a Marques Brownlee production. I thought my phone was trippin. 😅

[@ashwikraj8166]

I remember last years April fools video, i cant believe such a integral part of the studio is lost. RIP mac.

[@2704balu]

They did a April fools video this time too. It was an MKBHD awards video

[@mikebuck4841]

Weren’t these manufactured by Foxconn in Shenzen? Shenzen is in Guandong province and the two letter code is GD.

[@zeusfitter007]

Cornelius Would Be Proud.🙌🏻

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I think it's hilarious that Marques had to go home to let a plumber into his house while the auction was on. Because private collectors who are rich enough to afford these with their wealth, as opposed to a company that intends to profit or make content off the purchase, probably never see a plumber in their life.

[@SamSeen]

Someone had already confirmed that the "Lucky you" sticker was there because it was purchased as a gift for someone right? So could "GD local" be the name if the gift recipient, I have some recollection that you could do something like that when you order online, but not sure if Apple used to do that 🤔

[@Steinninn]

David randomly in Jökulsárlón in my country of Iceland 🥰🥰

[@omkarjoshi5056]

Why is 360p the maximum resolution in which I can watch this video

[@isaacmijangos]

Can you guys put a apple air rack sleeve on the MKBHD wallet plz? Instant buy after that.

[@0111DTheProphet]

Highly recommend using your Spotify money and spending a few extra dollars a month for KZbin premium. It’s annoying to start up playlists again but in return, you get all the premium benefits, youtube music, movies, tv, etc. the best part about KZbin music is switching from audio to music video flawlessly, you can also listen to all those rare rips on KZbin of rare tracks or live concerts not available on Spotify. I had Spotify since the pandora days and KZbin music is better. Take the jump.

[@letsgetsmarter2186]

Bro what brand of shades are you guys using? Lutron will never break and last the rest of your life

[@XLessThanZ]

GDLocal, maybe Generic Device Local, because no network connection???🤷‍♂ "Local" is usually the user's computer on a network. I'm just guessing at the "Generic Device", but thinking that because the phone's never been connected to the network to validate the user's name. Hence, it could be a default name hard coded for phones that power up with no network connection.

[@kaarteeek]

Andrew seems very relaxed and smooth in this episode i don't know why. i don't even know how to explain what i mean. Mac is no more and i don't know why that wasn't mentioned but i hope andrew and everyone is alright. i notice difference in andy's body language but i might be wrong. i will leave it at that because i am afraid of offending someone

[@NineteenEightyFive]

I saw it too. I'd say they're just trying to cheer each other up. Such a sad and sudden loss.

[@Shirley36]

This episode was probably recorded and edited before Mac passed. Don't try to judge the way people grieve by looking at how they behave on video. We all know and could see just how much Andrew treasured and loved Mac all those years.

[@goofiestgal]

whoa publish press hat!

[@ayrtons41]

Love is blind I love it.

[@Stjani86]

Hello from Iceland.

[@nadamuchu]

trashcan macs are extremely popular with professional post production companies. they use 2013 Mac pros running 2018 Avid to make films and TV shows for 2026.

[@eddievasquez3287]

Is it me or am I only able to watch this in 360p??? Watching on Sony Pro-i btw....so def not my phone

[@IAmMikeHoffman]

What service is David using with max 4g?