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

The United States Department of Defense is reportedly ordering more than 650,000 iOS devices according to Electronista, which cites unnamed sources.

The report says the DoD will purchase 120,000 iPads, 120,000 iPad minis, 200,000 iPod touches and 210,000 iPhones. The devices will be used in a variety of situations, with more than 50% "headed to the battlefield, afloat, and to associated support commands." The rest will be used in office situations like the Pentagon.

Another source familiar with the situation told us that the iOS devices were intended to replace nearly all the older BlackBerry devices incompatible with the new BlackBerry 10 software release. Statistics gathered from devices deployed by the DoD show 470,000 BlackBerry devices in daily use, none of which use the new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Testing of the new operating system has been gravely impacted by the sequester, and the outright elimination of funds earmarked for the BlackBerry 10 platform may never be restored.

The site suggests that the actual order of the devices is being delayed due to the sequester, and the purchase will move forward once that is resolved by Congress.

Update: The Department of Defense has denied the claims made in Electronista's article, saying that it has no plans to end support for BlackBerry phones. Additionally, the spokesperson said DoD "mobility experts are looking into what has been reported and are not familiar with the figures quoted in that report/article."

The DoD says it supports more than 600,000 mobile devices currently, including 470,000 BlackBerry, 41,000 iOS, and 8,700 Android.

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