[TheDong]

You can't have it both ways. Either you're providing encryption to the masses, or you're not.

Providing encryption to the masses would in fact be telling people who lost their phone, or forgot their password "no, all your photos are gone forever, tough luck. Also, you have to make a new apple account and re-purchase all your apps".

[sadeshmukh]

You must have a different definition of "providing" because offering a service is definitely providing it. Apple makes "smart" devices that do what people want them to, and encryption is second to that. I think it's a fair compromise to have it easily available but not default.