The key sentence from the article for me is: the company has refused to help the F.B.I. open the phones themselves, which would undermine its claims that its phones are secure.

I would assume that even if the software/cryptography is secure, Apple would have a physical/hardware-based way to access the data. But they can't admit to this as its a big part of their marketing around the product.

I think there may be an Israel-based security company that has managed a hardware bypass. But this was a few iPhone generations ago. Not sure about the latest products.

If Apple were to cooperate, what’s to say they are even able to decrypt a device like this post-facto. If their crypto implementation is sensible it’ll be impossible. Perhaps because PINs are weak it’d be possible to get the secure element to release the key material by reflashing it, but again, in a sensible design, any secureROM reflash probably should wipe the chip.

Interesting quote from the article:

As in the investigation into the Pensacola shooting, the San Bernardino gunman, Syed Rizwan Farook, was also dead and no longer had a right to privacy.

Apple has a track record of only punching down, never up. In China, these histrionics would be brusquely ignored with threats of a sales ban and fines, which is why Apple promptly handed over iCloud-China operations to a government owned/approved cloud.

In this case, Barr has a better chance of Apple complying, by simply routing the request through China.