OK, my friend. Explain me this. Let’s accept for arguments sake that your statements are completely correct.
Summarizing, you’ve said that Apple cannot unlock the phone, they can only defeat the software preventing multiple attempts.
Then you’ve said that brute force attempts are doomed to defeat since these techniques “would take longer than the heat death of the universe to attempt”.
So, would you please apply the ‘rules of holes’ for this old dumb guy and explain how the FBI could ever use this code to “gain access to virtually any iPhone they wish to inspect or compromise.”
It seems you’re making two mutually contradictory claims. First, that the code the government wants would be useless since no brute force attempts could reasonably be expected to succeed. Then, you’re claiming that useless code constitutes a direct threat to every iPhone in existence.
Which is it?
BTW, there is no reason to use derogatory language.
The OP misspoke with his “heat death of the universe” time comment.
The FBI are demanding that Apple create a special OS version which eliminates the back-off timeouts for incorrect passcode entries, thus allowing the FBI to brute-force the password via software. If Apple created this software, it would only take minutes to unlock any passcode-encrypted phone.
This whole incident is a farce, and I can’t believe that any sane, freedom-minded American would side with the government on this one.