San Francisco DA: Apple Told Me The Next Two iPhone Models Preceded Tim Cook

San Francisco district attorney George Gascón told the SF Examiner (via AppleInsider) that an Apple representative told him the next two generations of iPhones have already been developed and that Steve Jobs was involved in their development, saying "they preceded Tim Cook".

After Jobs passed away, it was reported that Apple had four years of product plans in the pipeline that Jobs had personally approved, matching nicely with the above claim.

Iphone5
Gascón said he also spoke with the Apple representative, a government liaison named Michael Foulkes, about the possibility of a 'kill switch' in iOS devices that could permanently disable them if they were stolen. He said he was "underwhelmed" with the discussion, saying the Apple rep seems to be "trained in the art of doing a lot of talking and saying nothing."

Major U.S. carriers agreed last year to develop a database that would allow stolen mobile phones to be disabled and deny them voice and data service, but law enforcement officials would like to see phone makers on board with a similar service as well.

Popular Stories

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around eight months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, Macs, and More

Thursday January 15, 2026 11:19 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the United States, according to the company's website. Most of the values declined slightly, but some of the Mac values increased. iPhone ...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

These 5 Apple Products Will Reportedly Be Upgraded With OLED Displays

Friday January 16, 2026 7:07 pm PST by
Apple plans to upgrade the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iMac, and MacBook Air with OLED displays between 2026 and 2028, according to DigiTimes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPad mini and MacBook Pro will receive an OLED display as early as this year, but he does not expect the MacBook Air to adopt the technology until 2028 at the earliest. A new iPad Air is...
Verizon New

Verizon Offering $20 Credit After Major Outage, Here's How to Get It

Thursday January 15, 2026 7:37 am PST by
Verizon today announced it will be offering customers a $20 account credit after a major outage on Wednesday, and action is required to receive it. The carrier said affected customers can accept the credit by logging into the My Verizon app, but it might take some time before this option shows up in the app. Affected customers will receive a text message when the credit is available. On...

Top Rated Comments

MrXiro Avatar
167 months ago
This would have never happened if Steve was still alive... oh wait...
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
avanpelt Avatar
167 months ago
They had four years of product ideas in the pipeline as of the end of 2011? Okay; but there's a problem with letting those ideas from almost a year and a half ago continue to guide your decisions today. Mobile technology is fluid and it has changed quite a bit from the vantage point Steve had in 2011.

I suspect (hope) Apple's product roadmap until 2015 is dynamic and is not based upon what Steve knew in 2011. Otherwise, we're likely in for a disappointing next two years, folks.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
irDigital0l Avatar
167 months ago
How is this news?

Ever read Steve Jobs biography? Mentions several next generation products all in Ive's secret room.

This is the same for other companies.

Slow news day.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nepalisherpa Avatar
167 months ago

San Francisco district attorney George Gascón told the SF Examiner (http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2013/03/san-francisco-da-gasc-n-says-industry-keeps-giving-him-run-around-mobile-device-thefts) (via AppleInsider (http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/04/01/apple-govt-rep-says-next-two-iphones-were-designed-under-steve-jobs)) that an Apple representative told him the next two generations of iPhones have already been developed and that Steve Jobs was involved in their development, saying "they preceded Tim Cook".

After Jobs passed away, it was reported that Apple had four years of product plans in the pipeline (https://www.macrumors.com/2011/10/07/steve-jobs-leaves-apples-pipeline-with-four-years-of-products/) that Jobs had personally approved, matching nicely with the above claim.

I thought we already knew this. :confused:
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ToomeyND Avatar
167 months ago
A lot can change in 4 generations of tech. Unless they got something mind blowing up their sleeves they had better start doing some fresh ideas

So unless they have something fresh planned, they better plan something fresh? Got it.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wonderspark Avatar
167 months ago
Haha, nice April Fool's joke.

I'm sure Steve knew four years in advance about the ways he would decide to change his mind, too.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)