An Apple fan that received an unfinished iPhone 6 running internal, confidential software and a different rear cover instead of the phone he ordered has sold the device to a collector for $11,100 (£7,000).

Having previously been listed on eBay as an Apple "prototype", the auction stood at $100,000 before it had to be taken down after the Cupertino company revealed that instead of a concept device it was an iPhone 6 that had not been fully finished.

"I have been informed by Apple that this phone is not a prototype, but rather a device that went through the manufacturing process and was never completed," says the seller Alex on the second eBay listing.

"The phone does not have iOS 8 running on it, has a red charging port and has no FCC writing on the rear of the device… It is running applications that do not come on the released device."

READ: Apple iPhone 6 review

It was clearly still of interest to several eBayers however as, although it never quite reached the same final bid, the actual amount raised was very healthy indeed. Even more so considering Apple's response was to offer Alex a replacement iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

He could now buy 11 equivalent 64GB iPhone 6s and still have some change left over.