According to the New York Times, Apple engineers have been discussing their options with each other in case Apple loses a court hearing scheduled for next Tuesday. At the hearing, DOJ attorneys will tell the judge why Apple needs to comply with a court order requiring it to unlock the Apple iPhone 5c that was used by deceased terrorist Syed Farook, and turn over information found inside the handset. Apple will explain why it cannot comply with the order.
Technically, Apple has no way to get what the government seeks from them, unless it develops a unique operating system (dubbed Govt.OS) that opens the phone in question.
