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iPad Air 2 to be supplied to all UK MPs following general election

by Mark Tyson on 25 March 2015, 14:35

Tags: iPad, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

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The House of Commons Commission has announced that all 650 MPs in the UK parliament will be given an iPad Air 2 and a laptop following the next election. Due to their continued use over the last few years iPads have been integrated with the House of Commons business processes and infrastructure.

Supplying the 650 MPs with this premium tablets and laptops will cost around £1 million in total. The refresh program will be spread over four to five years, reports the Daily Telegraph.

As mentioned in the introduction, the House of Commons has got used to Apple's system and any move to a rival or a choice of OSes would both incur costs due to development and possibly retraining time. The security features, SIM connectivity, modern fast processing power and build quality were all put forward as good reasons to go with the iPad platform. The iPad 2 model which has been specified for bulk purchase for the MPs is the Wi-Fi + cellular model with 16GB of storage. Any choice of gold, silver or black finishes will presumably be left to the MPs.

Not all MPs are positive about the iOS dominance and the expense involved in this upgrade program. Shadow Cabinet Office minister and MP for Newcastle central, Chi Onwurah, said that it locked the MPs into a platform that "most of my constituents can't afford." She said that the iOS platform undoubtedly appeals to Candy Crush and iTunes fans like Nigel Mills. However Onwurah would like to see a platform independent parliament.

MP Nigel Mills enjoys some Candy Crush during a meeting

According to the Telegraph, parliament has some 209 Apple iPad users already in its ranks including PM David Cameron. Many will be enjoying a tax-free upgrade soon.



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So they are setting aside £1500 per MP to give them an ipad… what is this? YOU DONT NEED THAT, you can have a simple chromebook for £100 - £200 and be done with it.

Sorry but why is our tax being spent on this stupidly overpriced technology? Dont mind people buying apple products when its their own money and choice but they have essentially forced the public to fund a personal choice.

Sometimes I hate this government and its becoming increasingly difficult to believe they even have a portion of common sense.
nice to see tax money at work and all in the recession together
I can understand WHY they choose iPads (because these types already have them at home and therefore know how to use them)……but why the hell are we paying for them!?!?!?

Switching would imply a training cost, I'd like to think that these intelligent people who run our country can figure out how to use Android, Windows or just about any OS or app they are given!
why they couldn't pick a android/windows slate at half the price I have no idea…. but then MP's aren't exactly known for being the intelligent sort especially when it comes to spending money wisely.

Having said that the iPad being suggest is about £500 including vat so about £415 because they won't pay vat, then there's a bulk discount (there will be one) so where exactly is the other £600,000 going…. a £1000 apple macbook air perhaps?

I'm also of the view that why are WE paying for them as an extra perk, they already get expenses to claim stuff for ‘work’ back so they could buy it themselves if it's actually needed. Though I would assume there is a saving on paper/printing etc.
Most MPs cant find their own arses with both hands so how this gross waste of tax payers money will help them is a mystery to me.