Apple volunteered to unlock the phones. What was requested was an FBI back door code to be installed on all iOS devices. Apple refused due to this being an intentional crack in their security.
Should this have been done, any officer could take your phone and search through its contents without a warrant.
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0 ups, 8y,
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I see where you're coming from, and with all due respect, you are arguing your own point: Apple never unlocked any phones, including the terrorists'. However, they did put a dent in the old yarr game...
Apple was never asked to unlock the phones. Apple VOLUNTEERED to unlock the terrorists' phones but was instead ordered to place a back-door access to every iPhone on Earth.
Information on a locked or de-powered phone is considered protected in a manner similar to that of first-class post. To access the information requires a warrant. What the FBI requested was illegal on several federal levels.
Apple refused the order to include a back-door access in their OS. The FBI threatened litigious measures but was ultimately unable to do so due to the constitutionally protected status of the data.