The latest product Tim Cook is announcing is not an iPhone or Apple Watch. Instead, it’s a new health care product for doctors and nurses on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19 and Coronavirus.
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced today via Twitter that the company has sourced 20 million face masks for medical professionals. In addition, Apple has designed a face shield to protect those who are treating COVID-19 patients.
This new product was created by Apple designers and produced by Apple and its suppliers.
“The number of masks we’ve been able to source through our supply chain has risen to over 20 million around the world,” Tim Cook said. “We’re working continuously and closely with governments at all levels to ensure they’re donated to places of greatest need.”
Screenshot of Apple CEO Tim Cook announcing new face masks, face shields for Coronavirus fight
JOHN KOETSIER
Apple designed a transparent plastic face shield that packs flat like IKEA furniture for shipping, and assembles in less than two minutes. The company will ship more than a million of these shields by the end of this week, and will be shipping another million every week in the U.S., and eventually beyond. Shields like this are essential for health-care workers to avoid accidental contact with Coronavirus-laden exhalations from infected patients.
“We’ve launched a company-wide effort, bringing together product designers, engineering, operations, and packaging teams and our suppliers to design, produce, and ship face shields for health workers,” Cook said.
Apple’s new face masks for doctors and nurses fighting Coronavirus
JOHN KOETSIER
The first shipment was delivered to Kaiser Hospital Facilities in the Santa Clara valley this week.
Apple is sourcing materials and manufacturing in both the U.S. and China, Cook said, saying that Apple was focusing on unique ways to help “at a scale the circumstances require.”
This isn’t the last product, donation, or service Apple will provide in the international fight against Coronavirus, Cook said.
For Apple, this is a labor of love and gratitude, and we will share more of our efforts over time.
According to Cook, doctor feedback was very positive. The face shields are fully adjustable.
Here’s the full tweet and video:
Apple has been more and more involved in health care since its release of the Apple Watch, but it has never yet designed and shipped a product just for the medical field yet. Now it’s joining other companies like GM and Tesla to build and deliver products to fight COVID-19.
Forbes
