DoD reportedly set to buy 650,000 iOS devices to replace legacy products

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
An unconfirmed report on Wednesday claims the U.S. Department of Defense is preparing to purchase some 650,000 iOS devices in an effort to upgrade its existing digital ecosystem, with the buy set to go through after the ongoing federal spending cuts have completed.

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Source: AFP/Getty Images


According to Electronista, the huge pending order is a result of a mobile platform testing program, which looks to update the DoD's aging digital infrastructure.

The publication notes that the order of over 650,000 iOS devices should go through after the first phases of the project are complete, contingent on "a few other initiatives coming to fruition" and the end of the federal sequester.

A breakdown by device claims the department will put in an order for 120,000 iPads, 100,000 iPad minis, 200,000 iPod touches and some 210,000 iPhones. While the destination of the products varies, "more than half are headed to the battlefield, afloat, and to associated support commands. Most of the rest will stay [at the Pentagon]."

Earlier in March, the DoD reportedly cut funding of its BlackBerry test program, which was putting the newest BB10 operating system through its paces. At the time, the department said it was nearing completion of iOS and Android device trials.

The influx of new Apple hardware is said to replace many of the existing BlackBerry units used by the department, which is estimated to be supporting 470,000 such devices, none of which are running the company's newest OS.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 45


    Those could have made RIM's year ... oh well.

  • Reply 2 of 45
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member


    This is why, when we read the "Apple is Doomed" tech media blogs, we should all throw our heads back and have a good laugh.

  • Reply 3 of 45
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Is Obama still using a BB phone? That has to be the icing on the cake for [B]Apple ][[/B]. :D
  • Reply 4 of 45
    danyakdanyak Posts: 30member


    Obama probably still does use a BB, like his policies, dated and desperately needing an update.

  • Reply 5 of 45
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    danyak wrote: »
    Obama probably still does use a BB, like his policies, dated and desperately needing an update.

    I honestly did not mean to make this political but looking back on my innocently made comment it's impossible to see how my query wouldn't have sparked this sort of response by someone.

    I take full responsibility for any horrible turn this thread my take. Mods, please delete my comments if the need arises.
  • Reply 6 of 45
    hmmhmm Posts: 3,405member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by danyak View Post


    Obama probably still does use a BB, like his policies, dated and desperately needing an update.





    I bet you thought that was clever.

  • Reply 7 of 45
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    Is Obama still using a BB phone? That has to be the icing on the cake for Apple ][. image

     


     


    Yes, I do believe that Obama still uses a Blackberry.image


     


    I also know that he had some trouble operating an iPhone a little while ago.


     


     


    But when White House trip director Marvin Nicholson handed the president his personal iPhone, Mr. Obama couldn’t get it to work. A reporter who witnessed the scene said the president looked “befuddled.”


    “It’s not clear he knows how to dial on an iPhone,” the reporter wrote in a pool report.


    Finally, Mr. Obama said, “Oh, I got to dial it in. Hold on, hold on. I can do this. See, I still have a BlackBerry.”


    The president then “had a little more trouble dialing,” the pool report said.


    The president then has more trouble dialing. When the call didn’t go through, he blamed Mr. Nicholson for having an insufficient cell phone plan.



    http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2012/sep/9/tech-challenge-obama-has-trouble-iphone/#ixzz2O7fEiqq9 

     

  • Reply 8 of 45
    christophbchristophb Posts: 1,482member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    I honestly did not mean to make this political but looking back on my innocently made comment it's impossible to see how my query wouldn't have sparked this sort of response by someone.

    I take full responsibility for any horrible turn this thread my take. Mods, please delete my comments if the need arises.

    People not looking to pick a fight would not see your comments as politically motivated. I interpreted them in the light of the President's own comments about his lack of tech savvy. Wasn't he quoted as saying he didn't know how to work an iPod? 12 years is an eternity in tech.

    @mods - Delete mine along with Solips' if needed.
  • Reply 9 of 45
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post

    I take full responsibility for any horrible turn this thread my take. Mods, please delete my comments if the need arises.


     


    This is your thread.


     


    This is your thread when politics comes into the mix.


     


  • Reply 10 of 45
    dmarcootdmarcoot Posts: 191member
    Great sign. That is probably probably half of what MS sold in phones last year
  • Reply 11 of 45
    analogjackanalogjack Posts: 1,073member


    I wonder if the govt will release a civilian version of their WarGames®

  • Reply 12 of 45
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    Is Obama still using a BB phone? That has to be the icing on the cake for Apple ][. image

    Legacy? Did RiM change their name again?


    There are numerous photos of his carrying an iPad (Jobs gave him one of the first on a visit to the White House).

  • Reply 13 of 45
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    If true, this is terrible news for Apple. WS spin: tax payer money wasted on iDevices.
  • Reply 14 of 45
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheUnfetteredMind View Post


    Those could have made RIM's year ... oh well.



     


    That's almost 1 day of production for Apple.

  • Reply 15 of 45
    msuberlymsuberly Posts: 234member
    With sequestration, DoD isn't buying shiit. "Unconfirmed reports"
  • Reply 16 of 45
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    analogjack wrote: »
    I wonder if the govt will release a civilian version of their WarGames®

    Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?
  • Reply 17 of 45
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    msuberly wrote: »
    With sequestration, DoD isn't buying shiit. "Unconfirmed reports"

    It helps to read the article:

    "with the buy set to go through after the ongoing federal spending cuts have completed."
  • Reply 18 of 45
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by danyak View Post


    Obama probably still does use a BB, like his policies, dated and desperately needing an update.



     


    Dated? Really? Cause all I hear is how "radical" his policies are, and every single change he makes, no matter what it is, is opposed vehemently by the many who despise him. 


     


    Politics aside, this is only a good thing. Making inroads in education, business, and government gives iOS greater and greater legimitacy, solidifying its dominance and confirming its not going anywhere anytime soon. Android may have numbers, but its insanely fragmented and will get forked at greater levels as time goes on, its features being replaced and modified by whats best for the OEM, making the underlying Android OS pretty much irrelevant and unrecognizable. 

  • Reply 19 of 45
    msuberlymsuberly Posts: 234member
    jragosta wrote: »
    It helps to read the article:

    "with the buy set to go through after the ongoing federal spending cuts have completed."

    Which won't be until next fiscal year at the soonest.
  • Reply 20 of 45
    christophbchristophb Posts: 1,482member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?

    "Goddammit, I'd piss on a spark plug if I thought it'd do any good!"
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