Tim Cook took today's Apple event as a chance to strike back at government demands that the company break security measures on a phone used in the San Bernardino attack. "We built the iPhone for you, our customers," Cook told the crowd. "We need to decide, as a nation, how much power the government should have over our data and our privacy."
"We did not expect to be in this position, at odds with our own government," he continued, "but we believe strongly that we have a responsibility to help you protect your data and your privacy."
The speech comes after weeks of increasingly bitter legal arguments with California prosecutors. The fight began on February 16 when a magistrate judge ordered the company to create a customized version of iOS to allow access to the encrypted phone. Apple has strenuously objected to the proposed, characterizing it as both dangerous and unconstitutional. Figures from both sides have pushed for congressional action on the issue, although it is unlikely to come before November's election.
Anyone curious for a judge's perspective on the Apple's case won't have to wait long: the first scheduled hearing on the government order is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon in Central California District Court.
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Introducing the iPhone SE
