What you need to know
- Apple reportedly developed a special in-house face mask.
- The face masks are for Apple employees, including retail teams.
- There is a second type developed by ClearMask that has a transparent covering.
Apple has developed a face mask that can be used by its corporate and retail teams according to a new report and is providing a second clear mask designed elsewhere.
Reporting for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman says that there are two different types of masks with one of them designed to be clear so people can see your lips.
The Apple Face Mask is the first created in-house by the Cupertino, California-technology giant for its staff. The other, called ClearMask, was sourced elsewhere. Apple previously made a different face shield for medical workers and distributed millions of other masks across the health-care sector.
This is Apple, though, and these aren't just any masks. They're safe and look "unique," just as you might expect them to.
[The Apple Face Mask] is made up of three layers to filter incoming and outgoing particles. It can be washed and reused as many as five times, the company told employees. In typical Apple style, the mask looks unique with large coverings on the top and bottom for the wearer's nose and chin. It also has adjustable strings to fit around a person's ears.
The second face mask, designed by ClearMask is the first transparent FDA-approved surgical mask. The idea behind having a person's face visible while they're wearing a mask isn't just to try and make Face ID work, although that would be great. It's to help people with hearing problems to be able to read lips – something that could be vital, particularly in a retail setting where noise could also be a problem.
There's no suggestion that Apple will sell these masks, although there is little doubt there'd probably be a market for them!
Updated with clarity on ClearMask's relationship to Apple.
