I'm sure the penalties for breaking the NDA were clear from the start. I know they spell out everything in my contracts with them, including any NDAs, so I would never expect them to water the penalties down after the fact for me nor anyone else. If that's an option, why have an NDA at all? Uniformity has always been Apple's thing, but so has the expectation that you keep your word with them. It's not about cooler heads, it's about what's in the contract, which was vetted, then signed.
A deal's a deal. Sorry. My word means something to me and others. Perhaps some people just aren't honest, I guess, and those aren't the kind of people who should be in the business world.