I strongly suspect that the giant hoo-hah over unlocking the iPhone of a proven terrorist has been cooked up and amplified by the right wing media in an election year, to smear the image of the Obama administration, and to push the idea of an evil government threatening the personal privacy of iPhone users, which is nobly being defended by a private corporation.
Recognize this: Law enforcement can get a warrant to search your computer, your home, your office. What is the difference between this and getting a warrant to search your iPhone ?
I agree totally that law enforcement should not have warrantless access to your iPhone and should not be allowed to force Apple to reveal a general method for unlocking iPhones. But refusing to unlock a specified iPhone after being given a search warrant is flat out inconsistent with existing law allowing a court to issue a warrant to search your property, if there is reasonable cause.
So cut the nonsensical squawking and yelling, and let Apple's CEO stop all his absurd grandstanding which is just a P.R. stunt aimed at improving Apple's public image and telling Apple customers what a wonderful company Apple is, defending their rights to privacy.
So, mass media, quit undermining the Obama administration through giving such huge publicity to Apple's ridiculous resistance to unlocking the iPhone of a proven terrorist. It is just a story about enforcing a search warrant on a high technology product. It does not even deserve space on page 10 of a newspaper. But the great spin machine has turned this into an epic battle. Go figure !