President Barack Obama is not allowed to use an iPhone

The troubled mobile phone maker
BlackBerry still has at least one very
loyal customer: U.S. President Barack
Obama.
At a meeting with youth on Wednesday
to promote his landmark healthcare law,
Obama said he is not allowed to have
Apple’s smart phone, the iPhone, for
“security reasons,” though he still uses
Apple’s tablet computer, the iPad.
Apple was one of several tech
companies that may have allowed the
National Security Agency (NSA) direct
access to servers containing customer
data, according to revelations by former
NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The
companies deny the allegation.
Obama fought to keep his BlackBerry
after coming to the White House in
2009, though he said only 10 people
have his personal email address.
Neither George W. Bush nor Bill Clinton
used email during their presidencies.
BlackBerry, a Canadian company
formerly known as Research In Motion
Ltd, virtually invented the idea of on-
the-go email, but lost its market
stranglehold as rivals brought out more
consumer-friendly devices, like Apple’s
iPhone and phones using Google’s
Android software.
The company recently halted plans to be
sold and is trying to chart a new course
by focusing on large business and
government clients.