Apple Employees Secretly Test New Apple Watches, HomePod (and More) from Home

Apple employees may be working at home, but that isn’t stopping them from making progress on unreleased products claims Bloomberg’s, Mark Gurman.

Apple and other major tech companies have modified their business practices so workers can shelter in place and still move forward on projects. Usually very secretive, the Cupertino company allegedly is allowing unreleased devices to go home with workers for testing.

Taking home a device isn’t something Apple is taking lightly, claims the Bloomberg report. Apple employees must receive approval from a vice president before they are granted access to early-stage devices. The company’s senior leadership also regularly reviews the employee’s access to these devices.

When at-home testing is not possible, Apple is allowing some engineers to return work on an as-needed basis to finish development. Apple is hoping these measures will help the company meet its target launch dates for this year.

The company allegedly is working on “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,” writes Gurman.

The company also is supposedly on track for the fall launch of its iPhones, despite a recent rumor suggesting they may be delayed by months.

In addition to hardware, Apple also is making progress on the software front with the releases of iOS 14 and macOS still on schedule. Similar to its hardware, Apple is controlling who has at-home access to its next-generation software releases.

Apple is expected to unveil its latest software in June at its WWDC 2020 online conference. Thanks to a massive iOS 14 code leak, we already know a lot about Apple’s upcoming mobile operating system.

Though there are difficulties and distractions with working from home, Apple reportedly is making the best of the situation by sponsoring a contest that asks employees to share their home office photos.

The company also is covering home office expenses, such as desks, computers, monitors, and more.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]