Want An Iphone 4s? So Does Uncle Sam.

Sales of the new iPhone 4S exceeded $4 million during its first three days of sales

but its not just consumers who want to get their hands on Apples latest technology government agencies are also buying up Apple products left and right. While the government tends to drag its feet when it comes to adopting newer technology, this hasnt been the case with Apple products. Everything from iPads to iPhones can be seen in recent solicitations listed on the FedBizOpps website.

The new iPhone 4S features an advanced speech recognition program Siri which allows users to give hands-free commands to their phone. A faster new processor and 8 megapixel camera with updated lens are also hot features likely to entice buyers.

With over $25 million in government contracts awarded throughout 2011, its apparent that the US Government has had little hesitation in adopting Apples products and services.

In some cases the adoption of Apple products has simply been the demands of employees for better technology and less dependence on the traditional, physical office. From the Washington Post:

"A recent Forrester Research study showed 35 percent of workers in the United States either buy their own smartphone for work, use unsanctioned Web sites or download unapproved applications on a work computer. Why? Twenty four percent of do-it-yourselfers say the technology is better than what their job provides. Thirty-six percent say they need it, and their employer wont provide an alternative. And nearly 40 percent say they use it at home and, well, they want it at work, too."

Apple.com even has a special Apple Store for Government with discounted prices for Federal, State and Local Government buyers and links to approved corporate resellers.

During the last fiscal year, over $1.1 million in contracts were awarded to Apple Inc. by various Federal Government agencies. During September alone, over 25 federal government contracts were signed with various government agencies for everything ranging from IPads to Macbooks to OSX Maintenance. Even a purchase for ITunes cards was made by the Small Business Administration during September.

The obstacles to adoption of the new iPhone 4S by government agencies will likely be high prices and security concerns. While the GSA has taken the lead in adopting new technology such as iPads, iPhones and Android devices, other agencies are exploring how best to integrate these devices safely into high security environments. Following a recent report from the Government Accountability Office stating that attempts to hack into federal computers have risen 650% over the past five years, protecting sensitive information is of high concern.

Costs also add up. The VA recently spent $30,000, the Airforce $171,000 and the GSA $145,000 on tablet devices such as the iPad.

However, as new apps are developed that can support government initiatives such as the new iPhone app that can fly an unmanned aircraft and eventually may be applied to the militarys Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in its drone program its certain the iPhone and other mobile devices will become just as ubiquitous in government agencies as it has become in the private sector.

by: Celeste

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