Department of Defense May Purchase 650,000 iOS Devices

[Michael Essany]

In an effort to retire legacy devices across a rapidly evolving tech landscape, the United States Department of Defense is reportedly interested in purchasing at least 650,000 iOS devices.

Electronista was first to learn that the mobile device testing program currently underway at the Department of Defense has produced a pending purchase order for Apple hardware.

The pending purchase, however, won't be finalized until the conclusion of the sequester.

The order, based on what we know, consists of 120,000 iPads, 100,000 iPad minis, 200,000 iPod touches and 210,000 iPhones. More than half of the devices are "headed to the battlefield, afloat, and to associated support commands." The bulk of devices that don't enter the field will remain with the Pentagon.

In the same report, another source indicates that the iOS devices will replace most of the older BlackBerry devices incompatible with the new BlackBerry 10 software release.

Source: Electronista

[ThatOneProfile]

The Government waiting for the iPad 5, iPad mini 2 etc?

[bmwraw8482]

They aren't going to have the $$ for this for a long while...

[BhadKarma]

They aren't going to have the $$ for this for a long while...

They got enough dollars to purchase what they want. They try fooling you they're broke... So the country feels sorry

[boricuatzin]

I assure you the talks in cuts are very, very real

[SJPajek]

They aren't going to have the $$ for this for a long while...

What? If the government wants them they will be sitting on the Pentagons door step first thing Monday morning, since when has that ever stopped them from spending. I'm sure it's also three times what they really need, but who cares it's on the taxpayers dime.

[BhadKarma]

What? If the government wants them they will be sitting on the Pentagons door step first thing Monday morning, since when has that ever stopped them from spending. I'm sure it's also three times what they really need, but who cares it's on the taxpayers dime.

Exactly

[cgfusion]

The cuts may be real, but in the wrong places. The cost of 650,000 iOS devices is tiny compared to the debt Obama bin laden has caused. They will buy those, cut in areas we shouldn't and fund research to watch paint dry.

[Donnutt]

That's only like 3-5 hundred million dollars. They talk in terms of spending billions and trillions all the time. A proverbial drop in the bucket.

[Zokunei]

Obama bin laden

*the hypothetical stadium made up of the entire audience of MMi bursts into thunderous applause and a soft roar of cheers and whistles*

Of course it would be pretty hard for someone to try to argue that there isn't far too much excessive spending (whether the topic of this article is an example or not), but I expect to see better wordplay than that.

[justinpotter81]

....but I expect to see better wordplay than that.

Best word play I've seen on this page

[fanboyfanboy]

If they are using these for good uses, I'm totally for this, but I'm tired of the pointless spending the Obama administration has been doing. Especially cutting budget from worthwhile programs, like NASA. If anything they should be getting more funding.

[steve-z17]

And the Chief of BB thought Apple was becoming outdated....look who's replacing all your lame old BB devices....

[Zokunei]

Best word play I've seen on this page

Isn't it the only wordplay on this page?

[tridley68]

And the Chief of BB thought Apple was becoming outdated....look who's replacing all your lame old BB devices....

Glad they are not going with some crappy Samsung device .Wonder if they will be Jailbroken that would be funny? wonder if their stuff will contain the new processors and ios7 before we get them.

[folgrz]

And the Chief of BB thought Apple was becoming outdated....look who's replacing all your lame old BB devices....

Try again... Thanks for playing

Air Force Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, a spokesman for the Pentagon’s new mobility initiative spoke to Wired, dismissing the story from Electronista.

“We are not looking to replace those 470,000 BlackBerries with the systems they claim we’re looking to order.” “Every couple weeks, there’s another report that we’re abandoning BlackBerries, and that is just so far from the truth,” Pickart adds.



US DoD rumored to be dumping BlackBerry and purchasing 650,000 Apple devices (updated) | iMore.com

[folgrz]

Try again... Thanks for playing...

Update: Air Force Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, a spokesman for the Pentagon’s new mobility initiative spoke to Wired, dismissing the story from Electronista.

“We are not looking to replace those 470,000 BlackBerries with the systems they claim we’re looking to order.” “Every couple weeks, there’s another report that we’re abandoning BlackBerries, and that is just so far from the truth,” Pickart adds.