Larry Downes, a project director at Georgetown Business School, said, “Apple says this is a matter of the Constitution, and the FBI says it is of national security. There are millions of possible courses this can take. This (case) is in the earliest possible stage, and these types of things go back and forth, among courts, for months, if not years.”
Apple’s advantage is that is has fantastic marketing and a powerful public fan base, but where the legal battle is being fought out in Washington, D.C., Apple has far less visibility and clout compared to its base in California, not to mention the climate right now is one that is full of terrorist events and random shootings, which could strengthen the case for anti-law enforcement rules.
While the FBI has assured that should Apple cooperate, it will not set a backdoor precedent. So far, Bill Gates is in favor of the FBI’s case against Apple, while Google and other tech companies are willing to offer legal support to Apple.