What you need to know
- Apple has shared a support document about its face shields.
- The document shows off the design as well as how to assemble and adjust the equipment.
- The company is committing to ship one million of the face shields per week.
Over the weekend, Tim Cook took to Twitter to announce that Apple would not only continue its mission to supply the medical community with millions of protective masks but would also be working to manufacture and provide protective face shields as well.
Apple is dedicated to supporting the worldwide response to COVID-19. We've now sourced over 20M masks through our supply chain. Our design, engineering, operations and packaging teams are also working with suppliers to design, produce and ship face shields for medical workers. pic.twitter.com/3xRqNgMThXApple is dedicated to supporting the worldwide response to COVID-19. We've now sourced over 20M masks through our supply chain. Our design, engineering, operations and packaging teams are also working with suppliers to design, produce and ship face shields for medical workers. pic.twitter.com/3xRqNgMThX— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 5, 2020April 5, 2020
The company is committing to ship at least one million face shields per week, and a new support document (opens in new tab) on Apple's website details the design of the shield as well as how to assemble and adjust it.
The face shield is separated into three parts: a forehead band, a latex-free silicone strap, and the face shield itself. Cook says that the design allows them to pack flat with a hundred to a box and workers are able to assemble and adjust them in less than two minutes.
Apple is recommending that those using its face shield to avoid exposure to high heat and, of course, handle the equipment gently so that it does not get damaged from drops or scratches.
The company says that the face shield has been made to be cleaned and reusable. According to Apple, the following chemicals have been approved for use in cleaning the shield:
- 70% Ethanol
- 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
- 6% Bleach (may leave a residue on the face shield)
- 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
For those who learn better by video than written instructions, the company has also put together an instructional video on how to assemble and adjust the face shield and published that on its Support website (opens in new tab). It has also created a printable PDF (opens in new tab) of the instructions as well.
For anyone who needs assistance on the new face shields, Apple is asking people to email faceshield@apple.com for help.
Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.
