Wouldn't it just be cheaper to build an iPhone than buy one off contract? Parts are fairly cheap... $35 for the screen - amazon $10 for back pannel - sw-box.com $5 for battery (iPhone 4, couldn't find 4S)- amazon $12 for homebutton - amazon $14 for antenna, mic, speaker - amazon Logic board (can't find a reliable source) let's say $250 Middle plate - $22 - swbox screws - $4 - swbox sim tray - $3 I may have missed a few parts but overall, this is $355 rather than $650 from apple... so why don't tech savvy people build their own, or am I missing something?
Did you add in all the shipping costs? Is the logic board locked to a specific carrier? Seems you'll rather go through all that trouble than just buy the iPhone 4S online for $400 or less? I have disassembled my iPhone 4S completely, but I would not think about ordering every single part just to build one. If you want to do this as a hobby, then go right ahead. I only see people who run iPhones repair services ordering these parts.
You're missing something. Cheap parts are JUNK! With the cheap back and front glass pieces, breathing on it will crack it (unless you are luck and buy right, but most people will go for the cheapest). And, most logic boards are locked to specific carries (previously stated). It's a LOT more complex than you think. Building is never the same as buying. Unless its a PC or Hackintosh of course
It's a pain in the ass. Just pay the $650 all at once to Apple instead of $650 or more total to various companies.
People have tried, it's really not worth it. And I wouldn't feel like I had an iPhone then, but that's just my OCD.
How would you load the firmware onto the device? iTunes won't even recognize it, and how will you register it for use?
you wouldn't have a serial number or UDID. It wouldn't be recognized by the computer and iTunes would reject the firmware
That's why you would need to find a used logic board from preferably a GSM model. Say if you wanted AT&T, you would need to find a used but working logic board that came out or of an AT&T iPhone 4S. The iPhone 4S is still a new product being sold that there aren't many suppliers for just the logic board. I doubt you can buy a new logic board unless you have some sort of connection. Here's a story. I sold my old iPhone 4 (no scratches; perfect condition) using CL. When I met the guy, he said he was just buying the iPhone so he could remove the logic board and install it in his custom iPhone.
I was just curious. I always think about building my own computer but I haven't heard of anyone building their own phone. It'd be a pain in the ass for sure. I'm not necessarily in the market for an iPhone 4S but I was bored at work and was thinking about it haha.
