RaduTyrsina
News Team
According to a new report coming from UK publication Express, Apple iPad Air 2 devices as well as laptops will be given out to the 650 members of the U.K’s House of Commons. This project will cost taxpayers from the United Kingdom almost $1.49 million.
However, not everybody in the Parliament agreed with this, such as Chi Onwurah and Shadow Cabinet Office minister who said the following:
"As we saw with Nigel Mills and Candy Crush, MPs will be using the games, and the iTunes and other features on the iPad. Locking some of the most powerful people in the country into a platform that most of my constituents can't afford seems like a mistake. And that's without mentioning the tax avoidance issue. I'm pushing for a device independent digital platform for Parliament."
Bu commission chairman John Thurso has a different opinion, saying that iPads are useful devices:
"Our requirements are for a secure, SIM-enabled tablet with a good life expectancy and capable of supporting future upgrades. The Apple iPad Air 2 meets these requirements and is competitively priced when compared with similar models. Having been in use across Parliament since 2012, iPads are integrated with current business processes and infrastructure. A move away from the Apple operating system (iOS) at this time would incur costs to change these processes."
Each iPad unit will cost 499 pounds (about $741), which means the Commons IT department has selected Apple's 16GB WiFi+Cellular version for distribution. The UK House of Commons first replaced paper with laptops and tablets back in 2012.
Source: Express
