N95 Masks - Good News

[Duppers]

Well, Glory be!! Brian Williams just NOW said that Apple, Inc. has 9M N95 masks stockpiled that they're releasing/donating to hospital staff across the country. That will help...some.

[Glimmer of Hope]

1. That is fantastic. Can they do that last week?

[Roland99]

2. Apple is just now discovering this?

[Duppers]

5. Really!

Just now posted an article on this news here in GD.

[msongs]

3. one wonders how apple had so many masks nt

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. For use in their clean rooms, perhaps?

[customerserviceguy]

13. Exactly

I worked in a semiconductor "fab", and while I didn't have to wear a mask, other people who had closer contact with the silicon wafers outside of their protective pods had to wear masks. I did wear a cleanroom gown with a hood, I had less skin showing than my first grade nun!

[Mosby]

12. Wildfires.

[Maru Kitteh]

6. I HOPE they will remember the nursing homes/staff too. :-(

[Flaleftist]

7. Great, but why did Apple need a stock of 9 million N95 masks?

I'm not trying to criticize them. I know they were not hoarding them at the cost of medical needs and it's great they are donating them. It is a good thing that they had these in stock before this all went down. I'm really curious. I know clean rooms are necessary for tech, but 9 million masks?

[Duppers]

8. That was the question

My hubby asked.

So

I hope DUer OhioChick's young physician sons get some of these asap - they both are in danger in ICU's & ER's.

[HarlanPepper]

10. As someone up thread said likely used in production of products.

[customerserviceguy]

15. You get good prices

when you buy in bulk. And chances are, they collected the nine million from a great number of semiconductor plants.

[MLAA]

18. An earlier response was correct

Making / assembling delicate equipment and components often requires a clean room where masks are required.

[Talitha]

9. 9M masks stockpiled? There's a story to be told here....

[GulfCoast66]

11. Not really. Most of their products are made in clean rooms. All workers wear them.

And following regular procedures are discarded every time they are removed. Unlike what our healthcare workers are now able to do.

[Mosby]

16. Yeah, in china.

I think the only apple products made here is a processor and laptops.

[GulfCoast66]

20. I seriously doubt they are bringing them from China.

More likely donating those they have contracts for in the states.

And so what they are made in China? No one is buying a $3,000 iPhone made in the US. Global trade is complicated. We just don’t have the population to provide all the things we want.

I’ve been to China several times and wages and conditions are improving there so much compared to when I was a man of 20. I actually want all people on earth to improve their lot.

The problem we have is America has allowed to screw of workers and blame it on China. There are things that will always be built here and we can insure workers rights.

[Mosby]

21. Not the masks, their products like phones.

The reason they and others like FB had so many n95 masks was for air quality issues due to california wildfires.

[FreeState]

14. Apple is getting them from suppliers

Last edited Wed Mar 25, 2020, 02:02 AM - Edit history (1)

“ Cook’s tweet implied that the company did not have access to the masks right now, but was calling upon the company’s relationships with suppliers, especially in China. Apple was “working to help source supplies for healthcare providers,” Cook said.

Most tech companies are doing this. I’d add that most California tech companies use them for multiple reasons - including California Fire safety for their employees.

None of these tech companies were hoarding them with evil intent.

https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/23/21191147/medical-masks-coronavirus-shortage-silicon-valley-donations-salesforce-apple-facebook-tesla

[customerserviceguy]

17. Thanks for clarifying this

They probably had contractural arrangements with the suppliers that they managed to accelerate production, and put them into the hands of healthcare workers.

[herding cats]

19. This makes more sense.

They have a deep relationship with those where they're manufactured. A little leverage applied and we get masks. Sadly, our President doesn't have that leverage with them since he's been blaming them for the virus existing, rather than working on diplomacy and supply for our doctors, nurses and first responders. 😑

[appalachiablue]

22. Good news indeed, thanks for the news