The pandemic of Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to affect dozens of countries around the world. In response to the outbreak, we know that Apple has been taking several measures and, in addition to investing money and resources in fighting the disease, the company is now sharing information for the manufacture of PPE.
In addition, as a result of the closing of Apple stores around the world, the reduction in sales of devices began to affect the company’s production peak. Thus, companies like Foxconn (one of the largest partners of Apple that assembles iPhones, including in Brazil) would not only have stopped hiring new employees, but would also be reducing the working time of the current contracts.
In Brazil, we will see that a new app will help in monitoring the cases of COVID-19; Meanwhile, France complained that the “limitations” imposed by Apple on its products would be delaying the development of solutions to fight the pandemic, similarly to the option presented by Apple and Google.
Let’s check it all out, below!
Apple teaching how to make face shields
Earlier this month, Apple shared important information about the production and use of face shields, personal safety items that help preserve the life of other PPE, such as masks and glasses.
Now, considering the expressive increase in demand and use of these items in hospitals in the United States, the Cupertino giant has released a new support document with the details of manufacturing face shields, in order for other companies or institutions to help supply this product. product.
Apple warns that the instructions should only be used by specialists and that the production of facial protectors requires professional level knowledge in manufacturing and design.
In addition to specifying the materials / methods required for production, the company also provided a new specific email address for the subject: [email protected]
Foxconn sacking?
Foxconn’s factories in China resumed their activities about a month ago, after the peak of the pandemic in the country ended. Although the initial concern was to meet demand (after weeks of stagnant production), the problem now appears to be precisely a drop in manufacturing, according to a report by Financial Times.
Several officials at the Zhengzhou complex, where iPhones are set up, are reported to have said that Foxconn has stopped hiring and started to cut some temporary vacancies. In addition, overtime has also been reduced, with the factory encouraging its employees to take vacations.
Pegatron, another supplier to Apple, has also been cutting employees due to falling demand. Approximately 1,000 temporary and contract workers were laid off, according to a factory official.
To revive the hopes of its production partners, Apple would, according to the Nikkei, informing its suppliers that it plans to produce around 213 million iPhones by March 2021. Technically, this represents a 4% increase over the number of devices manufactured between the beginning of 2019 and last March, but there is skepticism among suppliers .
Apple’s production prospects are quite optimistic, and we will need to assess whether they are based on a realistic demand forecast. Actual production can be 10% to 20% less.
In fact, as most Apple stores are still closed around the world, it is not possible to say how the demand for iPhones will be in the coming months, but certainly Apple has good reason to maintain such a positive forecast.
Brazilian app for monitoring COVID-19
A new app developed by D’Or Institute for Research and Education and by the technology company Zoox Smart Data will assist in monitoring the number of COVID-19 cases in Brazil. Called Good Data, the app was developed by a group of doctors, researchers and scientists in just 25 days.
The app has a questionnaire that helps to inform, based on data about the user’s health status, if he / she should seek medical help. If the chances of contamination are high, the person may be asked to schedule an exam for a specific day / time, free of charge.
For the state health secretary of Rio de Janeiro, Edmar Santos, the app will allow you to follow the case curve more immediately and identify the regions with the highest concentration of the virus. For him, technology is an example of “how society and public and private institutions are united in the mission to save lives”.
The app is also available for Android, on Google Play.
France complains about iOS limitations
Although Apple and Google have come up with a worldwide solution to fighting the Coronavirus, many countries are trying to come up with their own creations to monitor the progress of the pandemic.
One such country is France, which is facing difficulties in launching a tracking technology due to the “limitations” of Apple products, precisely with regard to Bluetooth. The information is Bloomberg.
We are asking Apple to remove the technical hurdle [do Bluetooth] so that we can develop a solution focused on the European health system.
Apple does not allow an app to maintain a Bluetooth connection in the background if data is being removed from the device – unlike the solution presented in partnership with Google, which aims to keep the data on the device, unless someone with whom you have contacted to report having been infected.
We’ll see if Apple will make any exceptions.
via MacRumors, Ars Technica, VEJA, ZDNet
