Apple Can't Recover iPhone Data for Missing Teen Boaters
It's bad news for the families of the two teen boaters we told you about towards the beginning of the month. Because after taking the recovered iPhone handset apart and attempting to extract data, Apple has now confirmed that it failed to get anything off the water-damaged and corroded handset.
The SunSentinel (via 9to5mac) has the report, and explains that the recovered iPhone, which was found on board the teenagers' 19-foot boat, isn't accessible. The boat in question was discovered drifting 100 miles from Bermuda back in March, but its 14-year-old captains, Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, were nowhere to be seen.
Apple had to take the phone apart “in order to run the diagnostics, clean and restore components and perform a chemical workup” in an effort to analyze the data, according to Blu Stephanos’ statement […]
Stephanos said he was told Apple had a team that worked “around the clock” on his son’s phone. He thanked the company for trying to assist his family.
Problematically, the two families are now in disagreement about how to move forward. Even though Apple wasn't able to recover data from the iPhone handset, it did note that other experts might be able to get something off the device. As such, Apple offered to pass the iPhone on to these individuals. The Cohen family are keen for further investigation of the handset to take place, while the Stephanos family wish to hold on to the handset for sentimental reasons.
It is believed that a combination of water-exposure and corrosion from salt water is the reason for the iPhone's substantial damage. The device, pictured above, is indeed in bad shape, and its internal components are said to be badly damaged as a result.
Of course, we’ll keep you updated with any further developments.