Multimillion-dollar plan to give London cops iPads hits roadblock

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iPad mini 4
Apple's tablet failed to make an impact, it seems!
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

iPads may be used professionally everywhere from the cockpits of airplanes to schools to the dugouts at MLB games, but not every scheme to employ Apple’s tablet works out quite so well.

According to a new report, a plan to provide around 20,000 iPads to London’s Metropolitan Police Service in the U.K. has failed to materialize — despite $8.6 million spent developing custom software, licenses and training.

Apple announced its plans to roll out iPads early last year, following a limited trial that took place between July 2014 and March 2015.

During this period, the Met spent £1.2 million ($1.7 million) on hardware, including iPads and supporting servers and accessories, £4.1 million ($5.9 million) on custom software development, £600,000 ($860,000) on business and management activities, and £100,000 ($140,000) on licences– alongside other costs.

Despite this investment, however, a freedom-of-information request shows that just 641 iPads have so far been distributed, and there are no plans to hand out any more across the force.

“There is ongoing development of a system to identify and roll out mobile technology to additional staff across the Metropolitan Police Service,” a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service noted. “Making our officers more mobile through technology such as tablets is a key part of our plans to make savings. It will ensure that front-line officers can maximise their time fighting crime in our communities and enable the continued reduction in the size of our estate.”

No mention of why the iPad failed to pan out, though.

Via: The Inquirer

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