The Next Two iPhones Were Developed Under Steve Jobs, Says Apple’s Government Liaison

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Devices like the iPhone came out of Apple seemingly fully-formed.
Devices like the iPhone came out of Apple seemingly fully-formed.

iPhone theft has become a huge problem in places like New York City and San Francisco.  District Attorney George Gascón is on a mission to curb smartphone theft by having manufacturers implement a kill switch once a phone has been reported stolen, but that’s proven more difficult than Gascón imagined.

During his crusade to get answers from manufacturers, Gascón talked with Apple’s government liaison about getting a kill switch added to the iPhone, but was told that might not be possible because the next two iPhones were developed while Steve Jobs was still CEO at Apple.

The district attorney says he was informed that the next two iPhones “preceded Tim Cook,” so it’s unlikely that Apple will add the kill switch technology to them. Other than hear the rumor that Steve Jobs oversaw the development of the next two iPhones, Gascón says that his meeting with Apple was a big let down.

“‘It was very underwhelming,’ Gascón said about the hourlong talk with Apple’s government liaison, Michael Foulkes. ‘He did most of the talking. It was incredible. He would just go on and on, one subject to the next. It was hard to follow. It was almost like someone who’s been trained in the art of doing a lot of talking and saying nothing.'”

While the technology is probably possible right now, Gascón speculates that manufacturers aren’t interested in implementing a kill-switch because then they’re lose profits. Once you lose a phone, you buy a new one, so why would manufacturers sign off on losing those extra sales? Not to mention the fact that reselling iPhones has also become a lucrative venture for thieves.

Source: SF Examiner

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