I've never seen government decision-making work first-hand, so I wouldn't claim that this speculation should carry weight.

But if I was someone on the FBI side who wanted to "win" this somehow, I could imagine how this might look like a victory. Apple wanted for its phones to look so secure that they will even stand up to the government to protect them. In response, the FBI made Apple's phones look so weak that anyone who has $1M to spend on the black market can get in.