A British woman died and left her iPad to her children. She used it
for e-mail and games after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her children have been unable to access all of the content on it because they do not have her Apple ID and password.
Apple has requested a court order proving that she was the owner of the
iPad and the account. The legal fees for obtaining the court order
would exceed the value of the iPad.
Several points:
1. I
advise all of my clients to write down their on-line passwords and store
them safely so that heirs can access their digital assets if necessary.
2.
When one is terminally ill, tasks such as making a will, discussing
funeral arrangements, sharing passwords, etc., that can be done today
should be done today. There is no reason to delay because there might
not be a tomorrow.
3. The iPad will work without the Apple ID so
what is likely happening is that the family does not know the iPad's 4
digit lock code. With 10,000 combinations and a five minute lock after 3
incorrect guesses, the family should be able to crack the code in 11.5
days with methodical guessing. Their time might be better spent working
to buy a new iPad and forgo listening to mom's music and playing her
Angry Birds.
