New York Post:
The NYPD has to scrap the 36,000 smartphones it gave cops over the past two years because they’re already obsolete and can’t be upgraded, The Post has learned. Officials plan to begin replacing them all with brand-new iPhones by the end of the year, sources said.
The move follows Microsoft’s recent decision to stop supporting the operating system that runs the NYPD’s devices and nearly a dozen custom-engineered apps.
Ouch. It’s bad enough to have to make this turnaround but it sounds like the entire process and decision was driven by one person. That’s a recipe for disaster. The big question should be, of the other choices available, why choose Microsoft-based phones over those that run Google’s Android software or Apple’s iOS?
According to an article I saw (here, I think) a week ago, because they could build “Windows” apps that would integrate into their Microsoft back end systems, quickly and easily.
It seems to have bought them two years to build/integrate ‘better’ apps for (arguably) better mobile platforms, and they’ll get the replacement phones for free…
I agree that at first glance, this seemed like an awful shortsighted plan. But as I learned more, it seems more reasonable.
The deputy commissioner of IT under scrutiny here responded to the story, claiming there were no costs incurred by using the Windows phones.
http://nypdnews.com/2017/08/deputy-commissioner-information-technology-jessica-tischs-response-ny-post-article/
I’m curious about the custom Windows applications she claims were the deciding factor two years ago, but are now somehow not.
If what Tisch said is true, that they took such advantage of a beneficial contract with Microsoft, then this isn’t quite the “boondoggle” story it’s being painted as.
Posting news from a week ago now?