New York, NY – New York City is developing a contract with Apple to buy iPads, iPhones and iPods in bulk at deeply discounted rates, according to the city Department Information Technology & Telecommunications. The deal should be completed within the year.
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The city’s 50 agencies currently rely on 65,000 city-issued wireless devices like BlackBerrys and cellphones — but almost no Apple gear.
“We’re adding iPads and Apple products to the city,” said ITT spokesman Nicholas Sbordone.
iPads currently start at $499, iPhones at $99, and the iPod classic at $249.
Sbordone said the city is interested in purchasing iPads in part for the agencies that conduct inspections of restaurants, air quality and housing.
While Mayor Bloomberg might tout his love of his personal iPad, most city employees are currently BlackBerry — or “crackberry” — addicts.
The mayor’s office has 395 BlackBerrys and no Apple products — except for Hizzoner’s, which is his personal, not professional, toy.
Wasting taxpayers money
This is a waste of money when so many city workers are being laid off due to budget shortfalls.
This the result of some bureaucrat wanting one and ordering a ton of them in order to show a need. Basically corruption!
What a waste of tax payers money.
We should all send emails to King Mike and tell him to stop wasting our money.
Once you go Mac, you never look back.
We switched entire business to Macs this year. I can not even look at a pc anymore.
There are no pop-ups, and text/video load instantly.
The ipad seems revolutionary, a real game changer. It’ll allow instant reporting and data transfer.
Education, gov’t, business,etc are realizing the potential.
Bloomberg is a visionary.
Get an iphone and thank me later.
while this may sound like a waste of money, it can not even be compared to other waste that exist, for example 500 million to repaint the brroklyn bridge, this is pennys in comparison!
I hope they put up JNET on all these devices
you clearly dont value technology, nor do you see its importance in business/government
I can just see another wave of summoncess,violations, parking tickets, etc. to pay all that up!!! in other wrds; BEWARE!