A 17-year-old from New York has been ordering white iPhone 4 parts directly from a contact at Foxconn, a factory complex in China responsible for building Apple products among other things, and putting his own conversion kits together. His website, WhiteiPhone4Now shows he has sold some 500 kits so far, meaning at a price of $279, he has managed to make about $139,500 in the last three months. Sounds like a typical American entrepreneur story, right? Well, not exactly.

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I wonder how much it cost him to buy those kits and get it shipped from Foxconn.

It's a bit silly to think people would spend $200 to change the colour of a phone... especially when the white version doesn't even look as good as the black one imo.

most iphone users are visual creatures and when you worship the style, the fashion you will do the most impractical things to meet that goal. i think the kid is pretty smart like many others out there who knows how to get the dumb ones to spend some doughs. remember that 'I AM RICH' theme which used to sell for 999.99? i wouldn't doubt he sold quite a few of that before even Apple thinks they need to help the stupid ones from wasting money on things like that. it's just too funny to me what people will do to look good and brag about things they have because that's all that is to it.

I'm curious as to how he knows for a 100% certainty that they are legit cases. I would think that Apple would have some sort of non-compete or exclusivity contract around any parts made for the iPhone.

More power to him though for being a creative entrepreneur...

That's cool and very clever, seriously.

I say good for you Lam! Tell Apple to "shove it where the sun don't shine". Leave it to Apple to try to crush the entrepreneurial spirit that built this country... Shame on you Apple.

I cant believe people spend that much just for a case... I dont even spend that much on a phone =(

However I must agree with Slh28 the black one looks way better than white one imo, probably they want the retro apple look?

This is a business built on the old "If you build it, they will come" philosophy. Seeing as how there are only 500 white iphones, and 14,000,000 black iphones, according to his site, it is a status symbol to have a white case (until they come out mainstream next year).

Why is Apple the only company licensed to rob people blind ? more power to you Lam. Rock on.

That's right. Screw Apple, buy from the private sector.

This entire article sounds like an add campaign for his website to bring in more traffic. "Buy my product before you have a chance!"


Private Investigators DO NOT send letters accusing people of wrong doing, thats why they are called "Private".

Attorneys on the other hand do send letters, and they are the once that do hire private investigators on their behalf.

If any one did have an issue with the product/s he was selling, then Apple attorneys would contact him directly with a Cease and Desist letter.


The article smells of BS all over

Who ever did the math, you did it wrong.

He didnt make $139,500, ....but far less. You forgot to calculate the profits that he has to split with whom ever supplies him with the product.

$279 for a stupid mod. Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry has to wear the fur coat for for Kramer and the dude mocks him like, "love me want me shower me with kisses", thats how I picture the need of iphone users to buy them as fashion/status symbols. Props to dude making all the money from the 500 douches who have bought that.

Apple chose to do business in China, where they don't care at all about little things like patents.

Check the website. The kit is so expensive because it includes the retina display.

Wow Apple pushing people around? No! Never!

I guess this means Apple wants to be the exclusive seller of outrageously expensive IPhone accessories of dubious value and utility. What's new ?

don't we all wish we jumped on that idea, smart kid, good for him.