Apple is turning its considerable resources and expertise to manufacturing face masks for medical personnel amid the ongoing crisis.
CEO Tim Cook made the announcement on Twitter:
Apple is dedicated to supporting the worldwide response to COVID-19. We’ve now sourced over 20M masks through our supply chain. Our design, engineering, operations and packaging teams are also working with suppliers to design, produce and ship face shields for medical workers.
— Tim Cook (@tim-cook) April 5, 2020
In the video, Cook says the face shields pack flat, assemble in less than two minutes and are fully adjustable. The company has already delivered its first shipment to Kaiser hospital facilities in the Santa Clara Valley, to positive feedback from doctors.
Apple plans to ship over one million by the end of this week, with one million being shipped every week after. Initially, distribution will be in the U.S., with hopes to expand worldwide.
Cook makes it clear that, “for Apple, this is a labor of love and gratitude, and we will share more of our efforts over time.” The company is to be commended for the example its setting, one that hopefully many other companies will follow.