Department of Defense to purchase more than 650,000 iOS devices?

BlackBerry 10 was shot down on Tuesday with news that the British government found the OS not secure enough. Now comes word that the mobile device testing program at the Department of Defense has led to an order to purchase more than 650,000 iOS devices directly from Apple. The order is pending, but is expected to go through once the sequester is over. The testing program is said to still be going on, but some needs can't wait which is why the order was placed.

One source familiar with the Defense Department plans said that the iOS devices will replace 470,000 older BlackBerry models that are in daily use. These are not BlackBerry 10 models, but run on an older BlackBerry OS. The testing had cut out the BlackBerry 10 from contention due to costs. The breakdown of the order goes like this: 120,000 Apple iPads, 100,000 Apple iPad mini tablets, 200,000 Apple iPod touch models and 210,000 Apple iPhone units of various models. One the sequester ends, specific models will be named.

More than half of the devices will see action in the battlefield, afloat at sea or at support commands. Most of the remaining half will be used at the Pentagon. Hey, these are your tax dollars at work!

source: electronista