California - Some criminals have switched to new iPhones as their ‘device of choice’ to commit wrongdoing due to strong encryption Apple Inc has placed on their products, three law enforcement groups said in a court filing. The groups told a judge overseeing Apple's battle with the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday that, among other things, they were aware of ‘numerous instances’ in which criminals who previously used so-called throwaway burner phones had switched to iPhones. They did not list a specific instance.