Turns out that the quick way to make money on an iPhone (outside of Apple and AT&T) wasn't to flip it on eBay. It was, instead, to take it apart and figure out who made the chips inside, then buy shares in those companies.
According to Reuters, "investors flocked to the iPhone's newly unmasked parts makers." Most but not all saw an increase in their share prices.
A few companies also did "tear downs" and estimated the cost of parts. Portelligent, for example, from teardown.com, "said a quick study of the device indicated that the cost of components was about $200 for the $500 iPhone, and about $220 for the $600 phone. The prices for materials, however, are initial estimates," according to Information Week.
If true, that should help Apple turn a tidy profit.
