Department of Defense Ordering 650,000 iOS Devices? [Updated: DoD Denies]

[thasan]

It's not that small of a drop in the ocean

...

$200 million is a great day for any company, even Apple.

and Obama was the beta tester of the modified version by NSA

 

[Eugene-DL]

iOS devices are much more useful

I feel sad for Android and Samsung...

 

[damir00]

You do realize most of debt is held by foreign banks.

Most US debt is held by Americans.

 

[macs4nw]

All made in the PRC. Good idea.

Isn't that where Blackberry's are made also?....just sayin'

 

[tmroper]

A very good patent defense strategy of sorts, too. When RIM got an adverse patent ruling that would have shut down their Blackberry service, the FBI made it known that they relied on Blackberries, and that such a shutdown would severely impact national security. And the parties were miraculously able to then reach a licensing agreement. Funny how that works.

 

[Winni]

While I am a long time Mac fan (my first Mac was a FatMac in 1984), this is a very poor decision by the DoD. They should be choosing open source solutions whenever possible and with smartphones and tablets, they have an easy choice, Android.

I watched and participated while our government's time and money were wasted with proprietary Microsoft DOS, Windows, etc. Microsoft continually jerked our DoD around and I see no reason to believe that Apple won't do the same.

I know fans of iOS will be happy to have their personal choice validated, but this is not a good direction for our tax money.

I'm with you. I'd probably choose Ubuntu Phone over Android, but this is mainly semantics. ;-)

However, thus far, Brazil is the only country that I know of where a law was passed to enforce the use of Open Source software. (Jonathan Schwartz, the former CEO of SUN Microsystems, said that Brazil was the main reason why SUN open sourced all of their technologies - including their chip designs.)

 

[lfikr]

2 marksman

Biggest regret of the revolutionary war is not finishing the takeover of Canada so we could have gotten those hippies in line.

You Yanks tried - we kicked your asses out and remodelled White House ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVC677-YmfM

 

[RolyPolyBird]

lol is this the new frontier for the MIC?

This is all that keeps the US economy afloat... MIC and privileged access to oil (and those things are very much connected). Take away either of them and the ponzi is over.

 

[Mike MA]

This in my point of view is the biggest advantage that Apple will likely ever have over the Android devices - customers like governments and large companies.

 

[the8thark]

This is just a small drop in the ocean of sales by a company as big as Apple. It is kind of like Boeing bragging that they sold one more island-hopper type airplane to the military.

Yes but it's an important drop in the ocean. If this goes through Apple can say to business and other governments, "If the US government loves our products, then I'm sure you will love them to". And 650k devices is no small number. If you get major in power players to buy the products, then other major in money (ie large global corporations), players might move to Apple.

If this goes through it's a win for Apple.

 

[shootingrubber]

And away we go. I wish you would have included those comments in your original post, I wouldn't have responded.

You should watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tTMMNTisBM.

 

[hill60]

So lets see, 650,000 iOS Devices lets say at $300.00 each equals $195,000,000.00 - I'm glad that all of you are good with the fact that the rest of us are scratching to put food on the table and our government spends that kind of money for just 1 department on phones and tablets.

I swear America is comprised of a bunch of spineless and gutless SAPS anymore! You know it's pretty bad when a descendant of General MacArthur (Me) has that to say about the country he is from born and raised.

ABSOLUTELY ****KING AMAZING!

Meh, about one day of sales for Apple.

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It's not that small of a drop in the ocean

iPads (using base $500 model)
120000 x $500 = 60,000,000

iPad minis (using base $330 model)
1200000 x $330 = 39,600,000

iPod touch (using base $300 model)
200000 x $300 = 60,000,000

iPhone 5 (using base $649 unlocked)
210000 x $650 = 136,500,000

That's a $296,100,000 million.

Yes, the DoD gets a discount so lets say its around $200,000,000 for the sale ($100 million savings almost).

If that was Samsung or Google, people would be screaming high heaven that Apple is doomed with a sale of this size.

$200 million is a great day for any company, even Apple.

So, just another normal day for Apple.

btw where did the million extra iPad Minis come from?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

You do realize, the POTUS has nothing to do with this? It is Congress and DOD in charge of this spending. The POTUS has to spend what Congress says.

Um... not sure where you learned how the U.S. gov't was designed to work, but, ever hear of the "veto"? It's right there in the U.S. Constitution. It's is Congress' (specifically the House's) job to originate spending bills, but POTUS must sign them once they pass the House and Senate for them to become law. Hence all the drama of recent regarding the "fiscal cliff" negotiations last Jan and the ongoing "sequester" negotiations.

Also, the Pentagon being an executive branch dept. put POTUS in direct control of it and how it spends unallocated funds. (That is his guy in their as SecDef, perhaps you recall the confirmation hearing a few weeks ago?) Most spending bills are not so specific as they state $x for Apple iDevices. It might say $x for communication equipment, but it's the B'cracys job to fill in the blanks. The only time Congress might get specific a contract for major equipment (planes, tanks, etc) is involved.

I agree POTUS probably has zero involvement with such an operational purchase, but the premise of your post is still factually incorrect.

 

[GuitarDTO]

None of this is official. This is a plant story by desperate Blackberry short sellers in a desperate attempt to drop the stock price. Blackberry has over 30% short float right now, and the negative news articles have been fast and furious, but haven't been working. The stock was up another 6% yesterday. I'll believe this when I see it.

 

[Macboy Pro]

Why not order them. All you have to do is print the money if you are this Administration...

 

[chinesedemo]

Some of you should really think before replying to a topic. This isn't gross spending this is an effort to reduce spending. The government has to encomperate some technology, why not apple?

 

[Hyper-X]

Nope, your're wrong.

You don't even know what I was responding to, nor do you know what you're talking about.

 

[osofast240sx]

Better than buying Blackberry or Samsung, or almost any other smartphone or tablet manufacturer company for that matter ... as they aren't American.

Buying American supports its own economy and a heavy percent will go back into their pockets as tax revenue.

This country is run by globalist! Lets all unhook from the matrix#

 

[Oletros]

Android is only partly open

What part of Android is not open?

And regarding the news, good PR for Apple if it is true

----------

That's a remarkably bad idea. No possible benefit of "open source" could justify infecting the military with the biggest virus magnet since Windows. Even worse considering that Android itself is essentially Google's own spyware that can and does snoop on everything you do and even let's their carrier partners install their own key loggers.

There are probably some niche military applications for stand alone embedded systems strictly on private networks where Android might be useful, but otherwise the only good reason for the Pentagon to purchase Android phones would be to donate them to enemies as digital warfare Trojan horses.

Or how to write something without knowing absolutely nothing about the matter

----------

As a developer, you have no idea what you are talking about.

I am an android fan FWIW, but it most definitely is based upon java. When you are developing android apps you are writing Java code - and lots of the Java SDK is available on Android.

As a developer, the one that has no idea is you.

Android uses java syntax for programming, nothing more. Dalvik is not a java virtual machine and even is not stack based like the JVM

 

[Azathoth]

Bob, stop it. It's simply a fact that if you make something Open Source it's more prone to security risks than software that isn't. Android is flooded with malware and security flaws. Apple's iOS also comes with it's vulnerabilities and flaws but they are far less likely to, because there are no developers reviewing the direct code except apple. If you can't grasp this concept you shouldn't be discussing the subject at all. When it comes to secure devices, you simply don't recommend an android device.

Really? of all answers you decided to go with that one?

Don't confuse real security with potential security. Open source makes it easier to find flaws, but it's not inconceivable that someone has the source for iOS and OS X, either through agreement or subterfuge.

E.g. MS has shared Win7 source with Russia:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/07/russian_intelli_1.html

 

[Ecofriend]

Luckily the country isn't in a financial cris.... oh wait.

It's absolutely redicous the government can afford this many ios devices after the sequestration, but they have to give furloughs to millions of DOD civilian employees.

 

[malexandria]

But

It's absolutely redicous the government can afford this many ios devices after the sequestration, but they have to give furloughs to millions of DOD civilian employees.

When they get back they'll have shiny new Apple devices to use (that their 20% pay cut paid for).

 

[diamond.g]

i wasn't aware that iOS was approved - at least not with the Dept of Army

last time i got notice, there were specific Android tablets that had been tested and approved by my local IT Command but not iOS

are there more details as to which specific military branches had approved iOS?

I have seen iPads floating around HQDA. Complete with the stupid CAC dongle...

 

[flux73]

Shouldn't they invest in durable devices with secure software?

This seems like a terrible move. Overpay for devices that are prone to easy cracking/breaking, a mobile OS that isn't secure and puts entertainment over security, and an overall ecosystem that supports consumer grade products and software.

iOS is not professional grade let alone high level government clearance level software. Nothing wrong with iOS for the average consumer, but I don't want to see issues of national security and life or death situations being handled on entertainment devices.

You seriously think that national security and life or death situations are going to depend on the device or OS that the government uses? You people have been watching WAY too many spy movies.

 

[cgc]

Better than buying Blackberry or Samsung, or almost any other smartphone or tablet manufacturer company for that matter ... as they aren't American.

Buying American supports its own economy and a heavy percent will go back into their pockets as tax revenue.

The DOD doesn't pay federal taxes.