What you need to know
- Apple held its Q2 earnings call yesterday.
- It also provided an update on its COVID-19 relief efforts.
- Apple has sourced 30 million masks and 7.5 million face shields.
Apple held its Q2 2020 earnings call yesterday, in which it reported $58.3 billion of revenue, somehow posting an increase of 1% year-on-year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also provided an update on some of the manufacturing and sourcing efforts it has undertaken since the start of the pandemic. In the call Tim Cook stated:
At the same time that they were leaving no stone unturned to get our latest generation of devices manufactured and into our customers' hands, our worldwide network of supply chain partners, logistics and operations spokes and every part of the company were also sourcing more than 30 million masks for frontline medical workers, ensuring they are donated to places of greatest need in every region around the world. While our product teams were preparing to launch a new iPad Pro, Magic Keyboard, MacBook Air, and the new iPhone SE, all of which have been very well received by reviewers and consumers alike, they were also working with our suppliers to design, test manufacture and distribute more than seven and a half million face shields. And we continue to ship more than one million of these every week to the doctors, nurses, and medical personnel on the front lines.
Back in March Apple announced that it was donating 10 million masks to fight COVID-19, and was using its supply chain sources to help distribute these around the world. By the start of April, that number was 20 million, but at that time Apple also announced that it would be creating its own customer face shields, designing, producing and shipping them all from scratch. Delivering on Cook's promise then, Apple has now confirmed that it continues to ship one million items of personal protective equipment each week.
