> I had an iPhone that I forgot the password to and it was a real pain in the ass. I know this doesn't address your comment head-on (i.e lost password) - but i

> I had an iPhone that I forgot the password to and it was a real pain in the ass. I know this doesn't address your comment head-on (i.e lost password) - but it does address the issue of stolen phones which are apparently impossible to restore back to their factory settings. Most people who rob iPhones are not technically savvy, but they know people who are, and they get those people to debrick the phones. The real question is: who are these people who can unbrick iPhones?. Well it turns out: all you need to do is look on your town noticeboard and there are a slew of people who claim to 'unlock' or otherwise debrick iPhones. Typically the tech they use to debrick the phones is readily available on the web, and god knows what other things they do to the phones once they are 'market ready' and ready to be sold (malware implants, either accidental or deliberate can be found on these devices). I know from experience and know a few people in those circles who deal with stolen phones all day, everyday. There are also firms who demand proof-of-ID so that stolen phones can be tracked and tied back to an individual. The firms that don't require ID have something to hide (they typically ask for no ID and happily sell you a stolen phone for a cut price).