As American As Apple MacAs American As Apple Mac

Apple OS X may have been approved for government sale since 2003, but the company has recently ramped up its pursuit of government customers, according to a source.Recently, Apple CEO Steve Jobs, VP of government sales Ron Police, and other key Apple executives acquired government security clearances, according to a source with direct knowledge of Apple's government strategy.

Apple also is working closely with military and intelligence agencies to push Macs. For example, the Army has recently finished its "golden master" or standard image of Mac OS X 10.5, and wants to dedicate a significant portion of its desktop infrastructure to Macs, according to this source. The Department of Defense and National Security Agency also are working on checklists to get Mac OS X 10.5 approved for use.

Even the iPhone is getting its due in government as a legitimate smartphone option. AT&T has put the iPhone on the General Services Administration schedule (basically, the government price list), and Apple is "listening closely" to the things government agencies and cybersecurity standards agencies need to get the iPhone approved for wider use in the government.