As magistrate Marianne Bowler explains, that sort of assistance entails:

"To the extent possible, extracting data from the device, copying the data from the device onto an external hard drive or other storage medium and returning the aforementioned storage medium to law enforcement."

Exactly which model of iPhone was involved in this case, and whether or not the government's "tool" for bypassing its security applies to this one aren't clear at this point. If anything, though, this proves that Apple at least remains steadfast in not complying with any request to hack its own software -- not just when there's a highly public case involved. We've reached out to Apple for comment and will update this post should the company respond.