“The U.S. Department of Defense on Thursday said reports this month claiming it plans to end support for BlackBerry smartphones were ‘in error,'” Damon Poeter reports for PC Magazine. “‘The department is aware of recent reporting that asserts it is ‘dropping’ BlackBerry. This reporting is in error. The department recently released its mobility strategy and supporting implementation plan, which clarifies we are moving towards a mobile management capability that supports a variety of devices, to include BlackBerry,’ Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, an official DoD spokesman, told PCMag.”
“Earlier this month, Electronista reported that the Pentagon had ‘decimated’ its testing budget for BlackBerry 10, the newly released operating system for BlackBerry smartphones, in order to ‘save the DoD millions in procurement and personnel costs,'” Poeter reports. “On Wednesday, the tech blog said it had learned from unnamed sources that the department planned to order more than 650,000 iOS devices from Apple, including 210,000 iPhones, 120,000 iPads, 100,000 iPad minis, and 200,000 iPod touches, at the conclusion of the sequester.”
Poeter reports, “Pickart also broke down the current numbers of mobile devices in operational and pilot use at the DoD. The department supports more than 600,000 commercial mobile devices, he said, including 470,000 BlackBerry devices, 41,000 iOS devices, and 8,700 Android devices.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: First of all, Android is a security mess already (see related articles below). Nix it. That the DoD even bother with it only highlights their wastefulness and stupidity. They must think up these brilliant ideas (trying to support Android, wasting millions on BlackBerry) while sitting on their $6,000 toilet seats bashing their skulls with their $600 hammers.
Next, why would the U.S. government use a foreign-made*, unproven OS from a floundering company when a superior American solution exists from a company with a rock-solid foundation?
American taxpayers, if – *gasp* – you were given a choice, on which devices would you deploy your hard-earned tax dollars?
*As always, we love all Canucks unconditionally. Mostly (depending on who’s in the NHL finals) ;-). We’re simply stating that the U.S. gov’t should support U.S. companies whenever possible. In this case Apple’s iOS devices are the screamingly obvious answer (which is likely why the U.S. gov’t can’t figure it out).
(And, those numbers from Electronista are too exact to have been conjured out of thin air. Expect more info to come out in time.)
Related articles:
F-Secure: Android accounted for 96% of all mobile malware in Q4 2012 – March 7, 2013
comScore: Google’s Android, Samsung continue to lose U.S. share to Apple’s iOS, iPhone – March 6, 2013
World’s best-selling smartphone: Apple iPhone 5; iPhone 4S #2, third place Samsung Galaxy 3 brings up rear – February 20, 2013
Apple iOS dominates mobile video viewing with 60% share vs. Android’s 32% – February 13, 2013
Android’s Web share down 13% since November; Apple’s iOS now over 60% – February 1, 2013
Android’s unit share growth has not hurt Apple’s profit share – February 26, 2013
Apple iOS dominates mobile video viewing with 60% share vs. Android’s 32% – February 13, 2013
Android’s Web share down 13% since November; Apple’s iOS now over 60% – February 1, 2013
IDC: Apple dominates worldwide tablet market with 43.6% unit share – January 31, 2013
The Android engagement paradox – November 26, 2012
People buy more Android phone units and do less with them vs. Apple’s revolutionary iPhone – November 14, 2012
Study: iPhone users vastly outspent Android users on apps, respond much better to ads – August 20, 2012
Apple utterly dominates mobile device market with 6% market share – and 77% of the profits – August 6, 2012
Game over, Android: Apple owns 84% of mobile gaming revenue – May 7, 2012
Wealthy smartphone users more likely to have iPhones; less likely to play games, tweet – April 2, 2012
U.S. Apple product users split evenly between Republicans and Democrats; Half of U.S. households own at least one Apple product – March 28, 2012
Study: iPad users more likely to buy – and buy more – online than traditional PC users – September 29, 2011
Apple iPhone users most open to mobile payments – August 22, 2011
iPhone users smarter, richer, less conservative than Android phone users – August 16, 2011
Apple iPhone users spend significantly more on their credit cards than non-iPhone users – November 5, 2010
Study: Apple iPhone users richer, younger, more productive than other so-called ‘smartphone’ users – June 12, 2009
Nielsen: Mac users are better educated and make more money than PC users – July 12, 2002
MDN take great.
If anything is more of a fragmented mess than Android, it would be the government. So maybe Android does make sense after all (shudder).
Buy American.
I agree!
Shill!
Agree!
Deniability anyone?
470,000 BB. If its dumped do you see all those nervous IT Overlords freaking out?
You’ve hit upon the problem I have been trying to understand: so many people, agencies and media hate Apple and try to it as Un-American because they are built in China. I don’t believe Blackberries or Samsung are made on American soil and their profits certainly don’t benefit Americans in any way! Why is there no campaign to buy from an American company like Apple?
So, ” … 41,000 iOS devices, and 8,700 Android devices …” Would that not be a almost 5 to 1 advantage to iOS devices? Are the “8,700 Android devices” being used in countries or locations that Apple’s iOS devices are not supported yet?
Is this not the most important note in the DoD comment? The BlackBerry devices will die off and be replaced with the iOS devices.
Shhhh! Those Android devices are for the CIA to hand out to operatives around the globe to get in the hands of “assets.”
I think the good Colonel just confirmed the rumor. Add 470,000 BB to 8,700 Android, that’s 478,700 to be replaced. Include a little more DoD market penetration for iOS devices (new uses by more people) and you get to 650,000 pretty quickly.
Funny thing is, given the stories of cost savings enjoyed by newsrooms and elementary schools when they deploy iOS devices, adoption right now might actually be a way for DoD to exacerbate the impact of sequestration. But that would be so politically untenable that I don’t think they dare.
bah, instead of Iran, Obama Messiah should invade Canada next.
That’s been tried and failed.
Guess we’ll have Nunuvit then.
Yup. Canada was the first country to whoop the US’s butt in a war. We burned down the White House. Next, Vietnam whooped them and then Iraq and Afghanistan. They just can’t win.
uh, that was the British. whattamaroon.
Canada became a “dominion” (a sovereign country) in 1867..uh the Redcoats fought us again in War Of 1812 to a stalemate. They have libraries where you live?
“We”? When that happened there weren’t six of you living in Canada. And I’d be careful making fun of the good old USA, because when the shit hits the fan you’re going to depend on us for protection. And everyone in the world knows it. Unless of course you want to depend on your neighbors from Russia? So I’d be careful what I say about us you gutless wonder. You are obviously an exception in a country full of very good people. But there are always anomalies in life.
Before Apple there’s BlackBerry…..
Apple should buy BB for their secure server stuff. They could then sell the combined system as Blackberry and Apple pie…….
BlappleBerry Pie. Nah. It doesn’t have that ‘ring’ to it. Oh well.
I have great Canadian cousins. I was actually hoping Raspberry, I mean Blackberry, would be a competitor with Apple. But they’re not.
MDN says: We’re simply stating that the U.S. gov’t should support U.S. companies whenever possible.
Yes and how about supporting SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY?! I could rant on and on about the utter cluelessness of the US government regarding computer security. Instead, if you want a masochist’s treat, check out our government’s website for documenting CVE security issues, if its POS server is bothering to work today:
http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/search
Do you hear that loud ‘clunking’ sound? Does it give you confidence in out government’s security? 😯
Typo Police! Please read: “Does it give you confidence in OUR government’s security?”
Another coffee please, miss!