Federal Agency Dumping Blackberry for iPhones

More troubles for RIM

ICE revealed in a solicitation document last week that it will buy iPhones for more than 17,600 employees, according to Reuters. The memo said that RIM's BlackBerry platform could "no longer meet the mobile technology needs of the agency."

The agency looked into both the iPhone and devices running Google's Android platform. Officials at ICE determined that Apple's ecosystem best suited their needs because of tight controls over the hardware platform and its operating system.

While the switch is yet another feather in the cap for Apple's iOS platform, it's also a major blow for RIM, which was once the de facto choice for government employees. That's changed as RIM has seen its share of the smartphone market slip away to Apple and Android.