Major bank buying staff iPhones

14 August 2008 16:45 GMT / By Katie Scott

Could Apple be in for a 200,000 unit iPhone 3G order some time soon?

Well according to ZDNet down under and also The Boy Genius Report - multinational bank HSBC is about to ditch its BlackBerrys and opt for the next-gen iPhone.

Indeed - should this rumour prove true - Apple execs will be rubbing their hands in glee at what could amount to the largest ever single order of the handset.

The harvest most definitely would have come in for Apple.

"We are actually reviewing iPhones from a HSBC Group perspective ... and when I say that, I mean globally", HSBC's Australia and New Zealand chief information officer Brenton Hush told ZDNet.com.au.

"A decision on a piece of hardware like that would potentially be deployed, conservatively, to 200,000 people", said Hush. "You know, it's a big decision, especially when you have an existing fleet out there."

"But it's definitely something we are considering from a HSBC Group perspective", he added.

"We always explore the potential application of new technologies and this is no different."

The Boy Genius Report adds that BlackBerry may want to push out the Bold some time soon to counter the iPhone love-in.

Full tags

Phones, Rumours, iPhone, Apple, BlackBerry, RIM, Mobile phones