Electron microscope image of the COVID-19 virus.
COVID-19 is a virus that is responsible for the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. It is also linked with the precipitous drop of Apple Inc.'s stock price from over US$325 to below $225 per share in a matter of weeks in early 2020.[1][2] However, the stock has since recovered due to continued demand of Apple products during the pandemic.[3]
Response[]
Closures[]
An Apple Store in Shanghai in 2020.
Apple initially closed their retail stores in China, starting early February 2020, in response to the pandemic.[4] Apple soon closed all of their store locations worldwide.[5][6]
Retail stores in China were reopened on March 13, 2020 as the outbreak in China was stated to be under control.[4] This was followed by the reopening of Apple's store in Seoul, South Korea on April 18, with limited hours and an emphasis on repair appointments.[7] Stores in Australia reopened on May 7, with requirements of face masks, social distancing, and temperature checks of customers.[8] Other stores, including some in the United States,[9] began reopening on a rolling basis in May, based on local conditions and guidelines.[10]
Various stores across the United States have reclosed since June 20 due to resurgences of COVID-19 cases.[11][12][13] On December 19, all stores in California, with the exception of the Apple Park location, were reclosed. Additional locations around the world are reclosing due to rising COVID-19 emergencies.[14]
Product launches[]
On the early morning of April 17 in California, Apple's retail store closure page due to the COVID-19 pandemic was briefly redirected to the pre-order page of the newly announced 2nd generation iPhone SE.[15] This was quickly reverted by the time pre-orders became active.[16] Apple seeded a golden master of iOS 13.5 to developers on May 18, which included faster bypassing of Face ID to the passcode unlock screen if the user is wearing a mask.[17]
Market analysts speculated that future product launch dates would be affected due to disruptions in Apple's manufacturing supply chain.[1] After the 2nd generation iPhone SE was launched in April 2020, Rod Hall of investment bank Goldman Sachs then predicted that Apple would not be able to ship the upcoming IPhone 12 by November and recommended that investors sell their Apple stock.[18][19] However, by May 2020, Apple's stock market value had mostly recovered following positive earnings reports despite the pandemic.[20][21]
Other initiatives[]
On March 27, 2020, Apple released a web-based screening tool and app to help detect symptoms related to infections of the COVID-19 virus. These were developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force.[22]
Tim Cook shows a face shield designed by Apple.
On April 5, 2020, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the company had sourced 20 million N95 masks through its supply chain and was donating them to governments and hospitals. Apple was also designing face shields for medical workers that it would be able to produce and donate at a rate of 1 million per week. The first shipment was delivered to Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Santa Clara Valley, California.[23][24]
Anonymized mobility data from Apple Maps.
On April 14, 2020, Apple provided a tool to access anonymized navigation data from Apple Maps to help track COVID-19 mobility trends.[25]
Apple held its 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference in an online-only format, starting on June 22.[26] The summer Apple Camp program was also held online instead of at Apple Stores.[27] Apple's headquarters began reopening in June, with employees returning to the office on a staggered basis with temperature checks and social distancing.[28] COVID-19 tests were offered to employees and face masks were mandatory.[29]
Corporate reopening[]
Corporate employees were originally scheduled to begin returning to work at Apple Park and other locations in January 2022, but those plans had been postponed due to the outbreak of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19.[30] After that surge had peaked, Tim Cook announced on March 4, 2022 that Apple would resume a hybrid transition in which employees would return to work once a week beginning April 11, then twice a week by May 2, and thrice a week by May 23.[31] However, the latter date was postponed to September 5, 2022.[32]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Apple might delay 'iPhone 12' launch by months due to COVID-19, report says by Mike Peterson, AppleInsider. 2020-03-25.
- ↑ Apple loses $1 trillion status for now as coronavirus fallout slashes market by Michael Potuck, AppleInsider. 2020-03-23.
- ↑ Apple stock fully recovers from coronavirus decline, returns to record highs by Emily Bary, MarketWatch. 2020-06-06.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 All 42 Apple Stores in China have reopened by Sam Byford, The Verge. 2020-03-13.
- ↑ Apple’s COVID-19 response, Apple Inc. 2020-03-13.
- ↑ Temporary Retail Store Closures, Apple Inc. 2020-03-18.
- ↑ Apple Store to reopen in South Korea with an emphasis on fixing Macs and iPhones by Kif Leswing, CNBC. 2020-04-16.
- ↑ Apple Stores reopen in Australia by William Gallagher, AppleInsider. 2020-05-07.
- ↑ COVID-19: Which Apple Stores have reopened? by Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac. 2020-05-10.
- ↑ Apple to Reopen First Store in South Korea on April 18 by Juli Clover, AppleInsider. 2020-04-16.
- ↑ Apple will reclose some stores in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arizona due to coronavirus spikes by Kim Lyons, The Verge. 2020-06-19.
- ↑ Apple Stores in Houston next to reclose as COVID-19 cases rise by Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac. 2020-06-24.
- ↑ 8 more Apple Stores scattered around the US reclosing effective tomorrow. by Michael Steeber, Twitter. 2020-07-14.
- ↑ Apple just temporarily closed all 53 stores in California and over a dozen in London by Sean Hollister, The Verge. 2020-12-19.
- ↑ You're...early., Apple Inc. 2020-04-16 4:47 PDT.
- ↑ Temporary Retail Store Closures, Apple Inc. 2020-04-16 5:07 PDT.
- ↑ Apple seeds iOS 13.5 GM to developers ahead of public release by Chance Miller. 9to5Mac. 2020-05-18.
- ↑ Goldman Sachs predicts no iPhone 12 until November, says sell AAPL shares by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac. 2020-04-17.
- ↑ Apple Gets A Rare Sell Rating by Chuck Jones, Forbes. 2020-04-20.
- ↑ Apple Stock Near Strong Resistance After Earnings Beat by Alan Farley, Investopedia. 2020-05-01.
- ↑ Apple releases new COVID-19 app and website based on CDC guidance, Apple Inc. 2020-03-27.
- ↑ Apple will produce 1 million face shields per week for medical workers by Kif Leswing, CNBC. 2020-04-05.
- ↑ Here is the face shield that Apple and its suppliers are producing for healthcare workers in the United States. by MacRumors, Twitter. 2020-04-05.
- ↑ Apple makes mobility data available to aid COVID-19 efforts, Apple Inc. 2020-04-14.
- ↑ Apple to host virtual Worldwide Developers Conference beginning June 22, Apple Inc. 2020-05-07.
- ↑ Apple Camp at Home, Apple. Inc. Archived 2020-06-17.
- ↑ The Silicon Valley Workplace Will Never Be the Same by Priya Anand, Bloomberg. 2020-05-06.
- ↑ How Apple Is Handling Its COVID-19 Reopening by Nick Kolakowski, Dice. 2020-06-08.
- ↑ Apple postpones return to work plans indefinitely, temporarily closes a few stores by Dan Howley, Yahoo Finance. 2021-12-16.
- ↑ Apple announces return-to-office plan for corporate workers, with hybrid model starting April 11 by Kurt Schlosser, GeekWire. 2022-03-04.
- ↑ Apple tries again to bring workers back to the office with mandatory 3-days-per-week policy by Mark Gurman and Bloomberg, Fortune. 2022-08-15.
External links[]
- COVID-19 Screening Tool at Apple (archived 2020-03-27)
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) launched by Apple, CDC, FEMA, and the White House
- CDC Statement on COVID-19 Apple App at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020-03-27)
- COVID-19 at Wikipedia
Articles[]
- Why Apple’s iPad Is the Gadget of the Pandemic by Brian X. Chen at The New York Times (archived 2020-04-21)