Apple Is Said to Be Trying to Make It Harder to Hack iPhones - The New York Times

So... the implicit headline is: Apple remains sincere about a commitment it has been openly explaining for years. See The Apple Case Will Grope Its Way Into Your Future (NYT) for more on what's at stake.

"The company first raised the prospect of a security update last week in a phone call with reporters, who asked why the company would allow firmware — the software at the heart of the iPhone — to be modified without requiring a user password.

One senior executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity, replied that it was safe to bet that security would continue to improve. Separately, a person close to the company, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed this week that Apple engineers had begun work on a solution even before the San Bernardino attack. A company spokeswoman declined to comment on what she called rumors and speculation."

Apple Is Said to Be Trying to Make It Harder to Hack iPhones - The New York Times