ALL 650 UK Members of Parliament will be offered a brand-new iPad Air 2 and laptop after the general election as part of a £1MILLION hardware refresh.
The announcement came yesterday courtesy of the House of Commons Commission, which revealed that the scheme would cost £200,000 for each year of the next parliamentary term.
The iPad Air 2 has been well received by critics, and Commission chairman John Thurso says it makes sense to stick with the existing Apple status quo in parliament.
“A move away from the Apple operating system at this time would incur costs to change these processes,†explained the Lib Dem.
“Our requirements are for a secure, SIM-enabled tablet with a good life expectancy and capable of supporting future upgrades.â€Â
He added:
“The Apple iPad Air 2 meets these requirements and is competitively priced when compared with similar models.â€Â
Not everyone is happy with the iPad-gifting scheme, however. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Chi Onwurah, who first discovered the scheme, blasted the government for locking in MPs to Apple’s iOS.
“As we saw with Nigel Mills and Candy Crush, MPs will be using the games, and the iTunes and other features on the iPad,” the MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central said.
“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.”
Currently 209 MPs within the House of Commons own an iPad.
It’s not yet clear whether MPs will be able to choose between the space grey, gold, and silver colour choices.
