Was I the only one who assumed the DOJ could unlock the phone for a while now, but instead chose to legally force Apple to do it to set a precedence? This news

Was I the only one who assumed the DOJ could unlock the phone for a while now, but instead chose to legally force Apple to do it to set a precedence? This news almost seems like a win for Apple; if there was a good chance that the DOJ would have won the case, they probably would have pursued it till the end.