[Joona]

It's more so the 128GB package is not worth that much, so it's easier to just delete it.

[nine_k]

You also need to be pretty precise with attaching the phone in an exact position, and grinding things with a very low margin of error, say, 0.05 mm along the vertical axis, in order to remove the chip but leave the PCB intact. Not for the faint of the heart.

I suppose they have had several training rounds using badly broken phones first.

[johnwalkr]

That's trivial for a machinist to check before starting the milling operation though.

[duskwuff]

> I suppose they have had several training rounds using badly broken phones first.

Can't be very many of those yet. The iPhone 16 only became available for sale last Friday.