“The Air Force Special Operations Command has backed off plans to focus exclusively on Apple iPad tablet computers to equip its flight crews with electronic flight bags that hold digital maps and technical manuals,” Bob Brewin reports for Nextgov.
“In December 2011, the command said in a contract justification and approval notice that only iPads met its requirements to provide tablet computers to 2,861 crew members,” Brewin reports. “A three-month test last year showed that the iPad “outmatched all peer competitors — not only meeting but exceeding AFSOC mission specifications.”
Brewin reports, “Maj. Kristi Beckman, a command spokeswoman, told Nextgov in an email that the command has now decided to take a more open approach to its tablet procurement. ‘During our initial evaluation, the iPad was the best available commercial off-the-shelf product for our needs. We are, however, platform agnostic and fully expect improvements across the commercial market to develop in a variety of areas that will increase our capabilities,’ she wrote.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Translation of Maj. Beckman’s statement: “We can hardly wait for iPad 3, either!”
Related articles:
FAA approves iPads in the cockpit; American Airlines to start Friday – December 13, 2011
All Nippon Airways to deploy 6,000 Apple iPads to train stewards – September 22, 2011
Qantas trials Apple iPads as in-flight entertainment option – September 15, 2011
United Continental pilots get 11,000 Apple iPads – August 23, 2011
British Airways brings new dimension to customer service using Apple iPads – August 18, 2011
Delta gives Apple iPads to pilots as electronic flight bag replacements – August 17, 2011
Apple’s revolutionary iPad creates the paperless cockpit – July 5, 2011
Alaska Airlines pilots using Apple iPads in cockpit – May 23, 2011
Mission-critical Apple iPads in cockpits may hasten end of era for paper charts – March 7, 2011
FAA authorizes use of Jeppesen app on iPad to replace paper aeronautical charts – February 16, 2011
Fokker and Navtech introduces Electronic Flight Bag hardware for Apple’s revolutionary iPad – January 28, 2011
Google bribes another Senator on the procurement committee.
Yup Yup. Sad. What ever happened to business ethics?
In government???
“fully expect improvements across the commercial market to develop in a variety of areas…”? Really? Do they read? Maybe 2 years before a Windows device that’ll be buggy, Andriod in litigation/royalty payment backlog, tablet makers forfeiting manufacturing or business outright. Major, you need to clean the visor on your flight helmet…
Kindle Fire with a big ass magnifying glass. One click ordering of their charts. I believe that at this time only iPad has been approved by FAA. No matter, If AF will pay $5k for a toilet seat, they will pay for Android crap to flush down it when it gets a vrus and craps out.
Although they may be able to eventually find a lower sticker price for a ‘tablet’ they will pay for it with virus infected, incompatible, OS fragmented junk that potentially may prevent some major equipment from returning from missions.
Good move there?
The phrases, “a more open approach to its tablet procurement…” and “platform agnostic,” reek of Google and make me certain they got into this. If the Air Force follows their own guidelines it will be 100% iPad, unless the military is willing to fsck up their operations and equipment just because those in power have been misled or bribed. It’s happened before.
Yep, somebody got to somebody. Google, Dell, Motorola, one of them cried to their Senator or Congressman and said it wasn’t fair. This why so much of the gear our Soldiers get isn’t the best gear or the gear they want / need – its what Congress wants them to have.
The United States school system is no different. Utterly PATHETIC!
utterly: completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers.
pathetic: deserving or inciting pity; inspiring mixed contempt and pity; inspiring scornful pity.
Tranlation of Maj. Beckman’s statement: “The U.S. Gov’t and Military are completely owned by Microsoft, so we will be g**d****d if we’re going to use any of this Apple sh*t. We will find a way thru delays and reduction of requirements for ANYTHING other than Apple products to become our standard.”
There, MDN, I fixed it for you.
It’s a technical non-issue. The iPad obviously outperformed other devices. If it’s up to the flight crews to choose, they’ll still go with an iPad over one of those really rockin’ DIM Playbook things.
IIRC, in the book about Google “In the Plex”, there was mention that many in the President Obama’s (Democrats) staff are ex Google employees.
Could be they are using their influence, or it is a continuation from past MS usage (ie, waiting for Win8 tablets).
Does seem a fishy turn about decision.
so shes getting bribes? They’ll by an inferior Microsoft one -LOL .what is she going to do when the ipad 3 blows everyone away yet again
Actually it may be just a “mis-spoke” event. The government tends to have to indicate that its open to the best equipment at the best cost…… even if it plans to buy Apple, it must indicate that its ….. open to all suppliers….. it just does not have to buy from them.
Just a thought,
EN: One voice of reason in a dozen comments…
That’s if you believe our Government even has the ability to reason logically anymore. I admire your faith, but not sure I share it.
There’s politics going on in Government. I’m shocked! Shocked, I tell you!
The iPad should be the tool of choice for every electronic flight bag, every maintenance manual, every mission planning system. But it won’t. Because Apple isn’t part of the military-industrial complex and won’t play by their rules. I can see Apple responding to a gazillion page RFP that places the winning products Intellectual Property in the public domain “You want iPads, go to the Apple Store or Best Buy or Wal-Mart. OK, we’ll give you a bulk rate. But none of the other crap, no yellow paint, no removal of the Apple logo, no matte screen.”
Good for Apple, bad for the grunts.
I don’t understand why they can’t commit. They have no problem committing to Windows exclusively. Not only do they require government employees use Windows, but also anyone accessing a government web site (can’t submit a grant application with Mac OS). I think the real problem is committing to something not made by Microsoft.
AFSOC procurements are not micro-managed by Congress; if the commander wants it, he gets it.
I believe the REAL problem is that iOS has no SmartCard support, which is a DoD requirement from IT devices; there are some accessories in the pipeline to address this, but they’re not available yet.
The government is overrun by commies and socialist entitlement bastards. When you have that kind of a mindset, thinking out of the box becomes impossible because commie principles have been ingrained deep within the medulla oblongata.
I would hate to have to describe where your principles are located. But rest assured that their roots are in deep and dark place.
This likely was started by a technically illiterate general or congresscritter who asked ‘Why only Apple? Aren’t there other tablets out there that are just as good?” This is not the kind of question that you can answer “No,” to, given from whom the question came. So the command decided that they would certainly be “platform-agnostic,” and that they’d be happy to use ANY tablet out there that’s as good as the iPad.
Which, currently, means…. the iPad. And likely for the indefinite future, too.
Should be noted that oversight committees approve of low bids & industrial discounts, and someone on the inside could’ve slipped the tip to the USAF procurers, that a truckload of BlackBerry PlayBooks, is bein’ shopped around, cheap. (You know, the world’s first professional-grade tablet)
So Nut, who, specifically, are the commies and socialist entitlement bastards that have overrun our government, which part of our government and at what level?
Leflt nut will probably tell you there are 57 commies in the congress. That was mcarthy’s number back in the day. Nut is the biggest idiot to ever post on this or any forum. Try to just ignore that fool.
Nah, that 57 was Obama’s tellin’ the number o’ Islamic states he’s visited, or so I’m told by a certain gripper in the know.
Of course, they’re committed to Windows since it’s a long-time standard. They hardly had much choice of any other alternatives. Windows became entrenched in everything. The problem is going to be to make these people let go of Windows if and when something better comes along. If whatever comes along is not that much of an improvement, well, maybe there isn’t much point in upsetting the system.
I’m Apple long, but I realize that old habits die hard and it’s not easy to get any organization to change unless there are significant gains to be made or cost savings to be had. Besides, I’m sure there are a lot of people in high places that own Microsoft stock.
Thanks Hugh. I will.
KingMel Take®
It was OK to go almost exclusively with Microsoft Windows and Office for decades. But the same rules don’t apply for Apple, even thought its products are better, because its competitors fund a lot of politicians and lobbyists.
Look, they want to have malware everyere, not just on their drones.
Good one, Oberamac! Malware ubiquity…what a concept.
What would happen if a war were to break out between Iran and the US. Let’s say the US Air Force is equipped with Androids and Windows and the Israeli Air Force is equipped exclusively with iPads? The Israeli Air Force will perform its job with aplomb and bomb Tehran with accuracy, but the US Air Force with the Androids and Windows malfunctioning will instead bomb Riyadh or Amman? Just a thought.
Reblogged this on Hello100blog.
That is not the translation. The correct translation is that Google and/or Microsoft went to Senator and/or Representative So-and-so, who leaned on the Department of Defense to reverse its decision to exclusively use the iPad as its electronic flight bag. However, the competitors are still so far behind not only the upcoming iPad 3 but the iPad 2 that it will be difficult, if not irresponsible, for the Air Force to use anything other than the iPad as its electronic flight bag.
The fact that the Air Force might actually consider equipping our fighting men and women with Xooms and Tabs is quite scary.