NYPD begins deploying iPhone 7 & 7 Plus to officers as it officially moves on from Windows Phone
Video: Apple offers free fix for iPhone 7 'no service' issue
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Back in 2014, New York City launched a pilot program issuing Windows Phone devices to its officers. Four years later, Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus units are being issued at a rate of 600 phones per day.
Officers in the Bronx and Staten Island already have the new iPhones while Staten Island officers are currently being transitioned. Brooklyn and then Queens will follow after the Staten Island transition is complete.
The switch to the Apple iPhone was revealed last year and given that Windows Phone is essentially dead it is no surprise that NYC selected the Apple iPhone as the successor. You may recall that New York considered an iPhone ban in 2016, but that same level of encryption and security may have been looked at as a benefit to the police force. BTW, that bill never went outside of the assembly committee.
Similar to the way that Windows Phone devices were used, NYC is using the Apple iPhone for 911 dispatches, criminal background checks, real-time video capture and display, and on-site form completion. The NYPD has seen its response time to critical crimes in progress drop by 14 percent.
Even better news for taxpayers is that the police department won't have to pay extra for the new iPhones since the department Windows Phones purchase means these iPhones are hardware upgrades included as part of its AT&T contract. The Nokia Windows Phones will be wiped and sold back to AT&T.