The '''Apple Face Shield''' is a [[face shield]] manufactured by [[Apple Inc.]]. The product was announced on April 5, 2020 and is designed for medical professionals during the [[2019–20 coronavirus pandemic]].
==Development==
A pediatrician at [[Kaiser Permanente]] in [[Santa Clara, California]] created a prototype of the product a few weeks prior to its release.<ref name="Mercury">{{cite news |last=DeRuy |first=Emily |title=Coronavirus: Apple to make millions of face shields for hospitals desperate for gear |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/06/coronavirus-apple-to-make-millions-of-face-shields-for-hospitals-desperate-for-gear/ |accessdate=April 8, 2020 |work=The Mercury News |date=April 6, 2020}}</ref> Apple CEO [[Tim Cook]] described the design and production of the face shield as "a company-wide effort".<ref name="Verge">{{cite web |last1=Byford |first1=Sam |title=Apple is designing and shipping face shields for medical workers |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/5/21209270/apple-face-shields-masks-covid-19-coronavirus |website=The Verge |accessdate=April 8, 2020 |language=en |date=April 5, 2020}}</ref>
==Design==
The Face Shield consists of a plastic forehead band, a clear plastic face shield, and a silicone strap.<ref>{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Chance |title=Apple publishes new details for its Face Shield designed to help health workers avoid coronavirus |url=https://9to5mac.com/2020/04/07/apple-face-shield-coronavirus/ |website=9to5Mac |accessdate=April 8, 2020 |date=April 7, 2020}}</ref> Assembly of the product involves removing thin protective films from the face shield and band, aligning the slots on the shield and band, and passing the strap via the slots. The product can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the strap. It is designed to worn with other [[personal protective equipment]], and can be sterilized and reused.<ref>{{cite web |title=Assemble and adjust your Face Shield |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211028 |website=Apple Support |accessdate=April 8, 2020 |language=en |date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>
==Release==
The Face Shield was announced by Tim Cook on April 5, 2020, via a video posted to Cook's [[Twitter]] account. The first batch was delivered to the Kaiser facility in Santa Clara where the product was first prototyped.<ref name="Mercury"/> The company planned to ship over a million face shields within the week of announcement, and one million face shields per week subsequently.<ref name="Verge"/>
The product is packed flat, allowing 100 face shields to fit in each box for delivery. The product is initially shipped exclusively to medical facilities in the United States, with plans to expand distribution worldwide in the future.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rossignol |first=Joe |title=Apple Donating Over 20 Million Masks to Healthcare Professionals, Producing Face Shields With Suppliers |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2020/04/05/tim-cook-apple-20-million-masks/ |website=MacRumors |accessdate=April 8, 2020 |language=en |date=April 5, 2020}}</ref>
==Reception==
Smita Rouillard, an executive director at Kaiser Permanente, said that the face shields allowed them to preserve personal protective equipment "for a longer period of time".<ref name="Mercury"/> Apple has been compared to other companies manufacturing similar devices during the pandemic, such as [[SpaceX]] and [[Ford]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Griggs |first1=Mary Beth |title=Apple publishes instructions and fitting guide for its new face shields |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/7/21212245/apple-instructions-face-shields-ppe-fitting |website=The Verge |accessdate=April 8, 2020 |language=en |date=April 7, 2020}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Apple hardware since 1998}}
[[Category:Apple Inc. hardware]]
[[Category:Emergency medical equipment]]
[[Category:Responses to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic]]
This site is not affiliated with or endorsed in any way by the Wikimedia Foundation or any of its affiliates. In fact, we fucking despise them.
|
