NTSB latest US agency to drop BlackBerry for iPhone
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has announced plans to move 400 users to Apple's iPhone 5 after noting that its existing RIM BlackBerrys "have been failing both at inopportune times and at an unacceptable rate."
According to a report by USA Today, the NTSB stated in a filing that it "requires effective, reliable and stable communication capabilities to carry out its primary investigative mission and to ensure employee safety in remote locations."
The agency investigates plane crashes. RIM's BlackBerry was once highly regarded, particularly among corporate enterprise and government agencies. However, a series of government agencies have announced switches to Apple's iOS platform, mirroring the interest among corporations for building custom apps for iPhones and iPads.
The U.S. government's rapid shift away from its years of dependance upon Canadian RIM messaging infrastructure is based on a number of factors, but includes RIM's failure to match Apple in usability, in third party apps, in development tools, in modern mobile operating system technology, and in deploying functional tablets.
President Obama shown with an iPad 2. Photo via The White House.
While President Obama was frequently seen using a BlackBerry when he entered office four years ago, he is now carrying an iPad. Apple's iPads and iPhones have also been approved for use in Congress.
In February, the US General Services Administration, tasked with managing procurement for all federal agencies, announced plans to support iOS devices by adding Apple's products to the agency's list of approved devices for government procurement.
That occurred just weeks after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated it would be moving from RIM to iPhones and iPads.
NOAA's chief information officer Joe Klimavicz stated at the time that Apple's devices were more cost effective to integrate into the agency's current infrastructure than RIM's, which are tied to the company's BlackBerry Enterprise Server. RIM had earlier announced plans to support iOS devices in its BES product, but that move wasn't enough to stop the shift from occurring.
Since then, a series of other federal agencies have announced plans to drop BlackBerry for iPhones. In May, the Transportation Security Administration announced plans to spend $3 million on Apple products rather than continuing to buy the RIM BlackBerry and Microsoft Windows products it has historically used.
In September, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was dropping over 17,600 BlackBerry devices for iPhones because RIM "no longer meet the mobile technology needs of the agency," and in October, the Defense Department's Defense Information Systems Agency program cut RIM from its planned mobile device purchases that includes the iPhone, a move involving 162,500 devices with the potential to grow to 8 million mobile devices.
According to a report by USA Today, the NTSB stated in a filing that it "requires effective, reliable and stable communication capabilities to carry out its primary investigative mission and to ensure employee safety in remote locations."
The agency investigates plane crashes. RIM's BlackBerry was once highly regarded, particularly among corporate enterprise and government agencies. However, a series of government agencies have announced switches to Apple's iOS platform, mirroring the interest among corporations for building custom apps for iPhones and iPads.
The U.S. government's rapid shift away from its years of dependance upon Canadian RIM messaging infrastructure is based on a number of factors, but includes RIM's failure to match Apple in usability, in third party apps, in development tools, in modern mobile operating system technology, and in deploying functional tablets.
President Obama shown with an iPad 2. Photo via The White House.
While President Obama was frequently seen using a BlackBerry when he entered office four years ago, he is now carrying an iPad. Apple's iPads and iPhones have also been approved for use in Congress.
Shift toward iOS at the expense of RIM
In February, the US General Services Administration, tasked with managing procurement for all federal agencies, announced plans to support iOS devices by adding Apple's products to the agency's list of approved devices for government procurement.
That occurred just weeks after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated it would be moving from RIM to iPhones and iPads.
NOAA's chief information officer Joe Klimavicz stated at the time that Apple's devices were more cost effective to integrate into the agency's current infrastructure than RIM's, which are tied to the company's BlackBerry Enterprise Server. RIM had earlier announced plans to support iOS devices in its BES product, but that move wasn't enough to stop the shift from occurring.
Since then, a series of other federal agencies have announced plans to drop BlackBerry for iPhones. In May, the Transportation Security Administration announced plans to spend $3 million on Apple products rather than continuing to buy the RIM BlackBerry and Microsoft Windows products it has historically used.
In September, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was dropping over 17,600 BlackBerry devices for iPhones because RIM "no longer meet the mobile technology needs of the agency," and in October, the Defense Department's Defense Information Systems Agency program cut RIM from its planned mobile device purchases that includes the iPhone, a move involving 162,500 devices with the potential to grow to 8 million mobile devices.
Comments
Well, I bet RIMM never saw that truck coming!
Speaking of trucks... How are those Windows 8 sales coming along, Monkey Boy? Or would you prefer I ask about the WP 8 phone sales? Awwww.... If it's not bad enough Uncle Sam isn't even allowing you to bid on the new multi-year Smart Phone contract.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Splash-reverse
Guess only kids (and young adults) are left using Blackberry now.
RIM's biggest market strength is in Nigeria- seriously.
Unfortunately China BB clones are moving in there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoshA
RIM's biggest market strength is in Nigeria- seriously.
Unfortunately China BB clones are moving in there.
A few weeks ago HP said they were going to focus on the 3rd world countries to sell their yet-announced smart phones. What's with this interest in marketing to places that have no money... except for the friend of a friend that has several million dollars he needs to move to my bank account.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hentaiboy
What have Apple's innovations been for the last 12 months?
Amongst others: Microsoft introduced the "Surface RT" but delayed the "Surface Win8".
Cheers
"have been failing both at inopportune times and at an unacceptable rate."
Lucky they don't need to use iMessage, Facetime or iCloud then as these services certainly fall into the failing both at inopportune times and at an unacceptable rate category!
Quote:
Originally Posted by hentaiboy
What have Apple's innovations been for the last 12 months?
What have others (tech industry) besides Apple innovated (at consumer level) since 1998? 0, nothing, nada.
Why is it that Apple is the one always obligated to innovate, why can't they just do like the others and just wait and then copy?
In the last 12 months Apple has only been making the best devices on every category (by a large margin) even better.
edit...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
...
Was this supposed to end up in the current thread?
Update: Edited out for GG
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bancho
Was this supposed to end up in the current thread?
Either the post I replied to went missing or I've put this one where it didn't belong. Thank for the heads-up! I've dumped it, so edit yours and it's like it never existed.
Text messaging, social networking, file-sharing, web-search, VoIP, multi-core CPU's, cloud computing, 3G and 4G, flashdrives . . .
throw in Google (and a few of their projects), Wii console, Garmin StreetPilot, Blackberry Phones, TiVo. . .
Yup, no one in tech besides Apple can come up with anything."
Defensive much?
As toi the photo: didn't Steve Jobs give the president an iPad on a visit to the Oval Office?
Yep: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394091,00.asp
So he's waiting for someone to step up and give him an iPad4? Might be a nice inauguration gift, hint, hint....
Plus 400 iOS users for Apple is insignificant. -400 users for RIM is somewhat more significant, yet still not fatal. But they're high-profile headline-grabbing users. And the words "no longer meet the mobile technology needs of the agency" are deadly. Especially as more and more government agencies publicly dump RIM.
(Non-sequitur, but yes, the windows in presidential vehicles really *are* that thick.)
Originally Posted by SockRolid
And the words "no longer meet the mobile technology needs of the agency" are deadly.
Particularly when the company in question, instead of actually working on their new platform, made a music video about how you should keep waiting for it.
It is better that our government communications don't get routed through Canada anyway. Nothing against Canada, just that it is better to use our own infrastructure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saarek
"have been failing both at inopportune times and at an unacceptable rate."
Lucky they don't need to use iMessage, Facetime or iCloud then as these services certainly fall into the failing both at inopportune times and at an unacceptable rate category!
Ever tried to receive an email with an attachment that's too big on a Blackberry...."Message truncated due to size." The crazy part is that the attachment doesn't even have to be that big at all! But I agree with you.
Originally Posted by Rudy Caparros
HazMat Experts and Firefighters petition Dow Chemical and Union Pacific for safe rail tank cars transporting gas chlorine. Secondary containment is a necessary improvement that must be implemented. See--PETITION C KIT for First Responders Comments.
What?