Interacting with any device running iOS requires Apple software (or reverse engineered hacks) for many features.
However, in this case, the point is that you can use Apple software to make a local backup (and you can enforce the "local" part by doing so offline), and then use whatever you want to encrypt and stash away the resulting files.
Fair enough, however iTunes is also Apple software no?
So your choice is use Apple software to make your backups, or....?
Interacting with any device running iOS requires Apple software (or reverse engineered hacks) for many features.
However, in this case, the point is that you can use Apple software to make a local backup (and you can enforce the "local" part by doing so offline), and then use whatever you want to encrypt and stash away the resulting files.
well, yeah, iphones could be bit more open, and I wish they were. But there's no real way for UK to force Apple into adding backdoors into that.