Apple’s long had a flair for design but they tend to only put the effort in if it’s for something long-term. So perhaps it should be a little worrying that the company has developed its own face-masks, for internal use by the company. Whatever their reasons (and the amount of stress we should dedicate to them), its entirely possible that we’ll see these available for sale at some point — even though Apple hasn’t indicated any plans in that direction.

We all wear masks… metaphorically (and literally) speaking

The mask, in keeping with Apple’s habit of using extremely sensible names, is called the Apple Face Mask and is the creation of the company’s internal Engineering and Industrial Design department. It’s a three-layer face-covering designed to filter particles coming in and leaving a person’s face — which is kinda the point of all this. The Apple Face Mask isn’t all that reusable, however — it’ll stand up to about five washes before it needs to be disposed of.

The Apple Face Mask was made with the company’s retail staff in mind but it’s not the first mask the company has made use of. It is, however, the first internally-designed product of its type. Apple said that it did a considerable amount of research on materials that filtered the way the company wanted, while not causing disruptions in medical PPE supply chains. The masks are set to go out to staff over the next few weeks, but we can’t help wondering if there’s going to be a surplus.

In which case, will the company ever put the Apple Face Mask on sale at retail? We wouldn’t be surprised, particularly if there’s a demand for them. And there are more than a few fans out there who would gladly pair a mask and an iPhone — maybe if there is an unobtrusive logo on these semi-disposable masks, just so everyone knows you’re super into Apple. And also super into keeping your fellow humans safe during the pandemic.

Source: Bloomberg Image: Instagram: Deirdre O’Brien