In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple Inc has come up with its own masks for its employees. Designed in-house, the Cupertino tech giant is now handing out the masks to its corporate and retail employees to limit COVID-19 spread.
Called the Apple Face Mask, the first-of-its-kind product by the company was developed by the Engineering and Industrial Design teams. Apple pointed out that these are the same teams that usually work on devices such as the iPhone and iPad.
Apple confirmed the development of the masks to?Bloomberg. The company clarified that careful research and testing was conducted to find the right materials for the masks. The idea was to find a material that is able to filter the air properly while ¡°not disrupting the supply of medical personal protective equipment.¡±??
Apple will start doling out the Apple Face Mask to staff over the next two weeks.
The report by Bloomberg sheds some light on the Apple Face Mask and what it is made of. As per the report, the new masks by Apple are made of three layers to filter both incoming as well as outgoing particles.
The mask by the firm follows its unique design standards, highlighted by large coverings on the top and bottom for the nose and chin. The mask employs adjustable strings for proper fitting around a person¡¯s ears. Apple claims that the masks can be washed and reused up to five times.
Over the course of the pandemic, Apple has repeatedly supplied masks to its own as well as medical workforce. Bloomberg highlights that before the Apple Face Mask, the company provided standard cloth masks to its employees and basic surgical masks to customers visiting its retail stores.
In addition to these, Apple has started distributing another mask model by the name of ClearMask. ClearMask comes as the first completely transparent surgical face mask that has been cleared by the FDA. The mask is especially made for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The ClearMask was sourced from another firm.
The company tested the ClearMask with its own employees in three Apple stores before procuring it. Going forward, the tech giant will come up with its own transparent mask options.