“I don’t think they expected Apple to refuse to do what they demanded. But they waited more than two months before they went to court. They had the iPhone by the end of the first week in December. . . but it was February 19th that they got the court order. Two and a half months later.”
I don’t buy that they didn’t know Apple’s position vs how long it would actually take to get it from someone else. How does what happened in public make sense? They had no idea that celebsustar was the best case scenario for them? It was some sort of miracle that happened in the window of getting Apple to comply?
Freegards
I don't buy your position that they would need to know any particular timeline. There was no particular hurry to open the iphone at this late date—two and a half months since the attack—and the data retrieved from Verizon showed there was little likelihood there was anything probative on it, anyway. Even FBI Director Comey testified to that probability to Congress. The FBI had to attest to the Court that they had exhausted all reasonable other alternatives before demanding an All Writs Act order. . . which they did. But it's now obvious that they did not. They signed a contract with Cellebrite four days AFTER they seized the iPhone. What's with that? Some reports indicate that the FBI has now signed a long-term contract with Cellebrite totaling $15 million just before unlocking the iPhone.
There is no "miracle" required, just a lot of companies rising to the challenge laid down to unlock an older tech iPhone. And sufficient time.