Then you didn’t restore to factory settings. I’ve done this numerous times. You get the welcome screen when you erase and reset.

I got the hello screen after it told me my device was locked and I had to put my password in during Apple's preinstall environment screen.

> I had to put my password in during Apple's preinstall environment screen

Did you also have to enter your user name?

Note that you’re getting a strong response because you concluded intent from N = 1 anecdote.

>Did you also have to enter your user name?

No, it was prefilled.

I think the entire point is that the process is confusing and easy to mess up. Even if there is a way to successfully do it, that doesn't take away from the point being made that the OP commenter tried to do this and failed. Telling them they did it wrong doesn't change that argument.

> the entire point is that the process is confusing and easy to mess up

That's a fair point! It isn't the only one that was made.

OP concluded that the activation lock "only exists to create ewaste and pad the bottom line" [1]. That's the contentious part.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41536804

I mean, you can't really get much simpler than the process, I've got to be honest.

Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iphone. It's the first google search result from "how do I reset my iphone". It works 100% of the time and is so simple my mom figured it out on her own.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/108931

The icloud login for a non locked device happens after hello. In my locked device case it listed my icloud email and prompted for the password. It also said something about being locked.

I'm not going to repro this because it takes a while to set up my dev env.

So your assertion is that Apple’s documentation is wrong? Grab your phone, make a video showing it, and submit it. HN would upvote that to death.