One thing we need to understand is the fact that the COVID-19 outbreak has disturbed business all over the world and this means people have to work from home. However, the people who have to work outdoors and test products are hindered due to this reason.
Now, a report regarding Apple suggests that the company is not letting its product launches get delayed due to work-from-home. For this reason, Apple who has a strict policy regarding its early-stage products is letting select employees test the products while working from home.
This means we are likely to see the products from Apple such as a new HomePod, affordable iPads and other products such as an iMac etc launched as per the timeline of late 2019. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, someone who is reliable when it comes to Apple leaks, says that Apple is adopting the work-from-home culture while still maintaining the secrecy around unreleased hardware and software as its employees “must go high up the executive ladder for permission to take an in-the-works device home”.
This clearly means that Apple is allowing only employees it trusts to test unreleased products so that the chances of leaks are minimal. Also, such an approach will make it easier for the company to find the source of a leak if something gets leaked before release.
Bloomberg also mentions that there are currently a few products being tested by Apple employees at home which include a “new versions of the HomePod speaker, Apple TV set-top box, MacBook Pro, budget iPads, Apple Watch and iMac for as early as later this year,”
Interestingly, Bloomberg also reports that “for some work that requires hands-on development, some hardware engineers in Silicon Valley are allowed into the office.”
The report also adds that Apple is concerned about the secrecy of its products and software while employees work from home. For this reason, they have sent a notice to the staff saying that “Whether you’re working at home or at the office, it’s always critical to keep confidential work confidential. While working remotely, use the same care and always securely store confidential items and documents when not in use,”. Also, Apple is offering to cover the home office costs of its employees since the quarantine means that no employees are allowed to come to the office.