Apple intends to press ahead with the release of several new devices in the coming months, despite the chaos associated with the spread of COVID-19 around the world. This is what Bloomberg‘s sources have claimed, at any rate.
And the pace of production barely seems to have slowed. New models of iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, MacBook Pro and iMac are said to be in development, among other products; and this follows the launch of a new MacBook Air, iPad Pro and Powerbeats headphones in March.
(Separate reports suggest that the iPhone 9 could launch as soon as 5 April.)
Apple has of course had to come up with new ways of working to accommodate health concerns. As far as the iPhone is concerned, for example, a number of employees have reportedly been allowed to take prototypes home, so they can be tested under real-world conditions.
Bloomberg quotes an internal communication about maintaining secrecy under these unusual conditions: “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.”
The development of new operating systems such as iOS 14 and watchOS 7 is also said to be proceeding at more or less normal pace. In addition to Apple’s own services such as FaceTime, developers have been able to communicate with each other using applications such as Slack and Jabber.
Apple has already announced that this year’s edition of WWDC will be an online-only event. In other words, there will be no physical meetings for developers in the near future.
Read more about our expectations for the new future in What to expect at WWDC 2020 and Apple predictions 2020.
This article originally appeared on MacWorld Sweden. Translation by David Price. Main image by Svetapple.
