There is much in the news about Apple's refusal to help in accessing the phone of a dead terrorist.
Should Apple compromise the integrity of their encryption system to aid the FBI?
Bearing in mind that there does not exist a means of entering the phone, the FBI or anyone else is free to have a try; should Apple be forced to develop a system at the behest of the US Govt?

Apple should definitely not be forced.

Working for another against your will is called slavery - I believe it was abolished, errr... was it?

Nevertheless, I can't see why Apple should not, voluntarily, help in the investigation: it need not compromise its encryption system, but instead take in a copy of the encrypted data, decrypt it themselves, then send the files to the FBI in order to help fighting terror - they don't need to tell the FBI how they did it.

No, I definitely do not think Apple should assist the FBI if it will affect all Apple users privacy and security....I have 3 Apple products myself.
Surely the FBI can work out their problems with good old fashioned police work?

Of course Apple should not be forced to open the phone.

However they should be banned from marketing anything in the US, while in contempt of a US court order. They should have the right to chose which they prefer.

Any company has a responsibility to the society in which it operates. It has no responsibility to protect the end user of their equipment when it is used in illegal activities.

Categorically NO.

1 - It will eventually be used against other people for any purpose a public servant or politician wants. Proof of that is the US Government has members of the TEA party be audited by the IRS.

2 - Guaranteed a rogue employee will sell the method to other Governments or criminals.

3 - Goodbye Apple stock value and that of any other American technology company, only a fool will trust them.

4 - Do you trust the people with access to the information on phone etc not to tell or show others, there are frequent reports of police etc emailing private photos on peoples phones to others.

I have doubts about the entire story.
I thought the US govt already had backdoors built in to all mobile devices so I wonder whether the whole story is just cooked up for people 'to think' they have security when they don't, though I've heard that governments don't like encryption.

Regards the FBI, they find patsies to engage in terror activities so they can bust them and tell the world how they foiled a terrorist plot...
When they actually manufacture them...

I was thinking this morning - Who's worse - the terrorist who engages in bombings that kill many innocents, or the US govt who will kill 50 civilians just to kill one known terrorist.
I'm not sure one is any better than the other, 2 wrongs don't make a right, crazy upside down world.