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Report: Apple To Distribute Face Mask Designed In-House To Employees

This article is more than 3 years old.
Updated Sep 10, 2020, 12:41pm EDT

Topline

[Corrected, Sept. 10] Apple went above and beyond passing out standard face masks to employees and instead took advantage of the company’s design teams to come up with a new mask the tech giant will distribute to both workers at its corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California, and at its retail stores, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Key Facts

According to the report, Apple has produced a new face mask for employees, designed totally in-house by the same teams responsible for the brand’s iconic iPhones.

The Apple Face Mask features three layers of material to filter the air breathed by the wearer, covers the nose and chin and also has adjustable straps, according to Bloomberg.

The face mask can reportedly be washed and then reworn five times.

A second product, the ClearMask, is a see-through surgical mask that is the first model of its type to pass through the FDA that is sourced from a company called ClearMask LLC and will be distributed to Apple employees, ClearMask told Forbes in a statement.

Key Background 

The Centers for Disease Control recommend that Americans wear face masks that cover their noses and mouths to prevent the spread of coronavirus. CDC Director Robert Redfield said in July that the U.S. coronavirus outbreak (the worst in the world) could be contained in a matter of months and “shut down transmission” if everyone wore face masks. In April, Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly told employees that Apple had donated more than 30 million face masks to people like nurses and doctors treating coronavirus patients. According to former Apple employees, the company has a history of rolling out merchandise exclusive for the company’s workers. Most Apple office employees are not due back in-person until next year, Cook announced, while some retail stores are beginning to gradually reopen.

Further Reading

Apple Design Teams Develop Special Face Masks for Employees (Bloomberg)

An earlier version of this story reported that Apple designed the ClearMask in-house, per a report from Bloomberg. ClearMask LLC designed, developed and manufactures the mask.

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