Users need backups to protect from a device loss scenario. Apple needs to have keys for that to work. They also can’t rely on key derivation because users forge

Users need backups to protect from a device loss scenario. Apple needs to have keys for that to work. They also can’t rely on key derivation because users forget their Apple ID passwords all the time. It is relevant because this requirement necessarily conflicts with strong e2ee. And since Apple is designing devices for end users that don’t necessarily even know or care what e2ee is, it seems completely reasonable to have defaults that will optimize for the problems that are relevant for the majority of users (losing decide and forgetting your password) while making strong e2ee a few clicks away to those who need it (and understand associated tradeoffs).