Apple delays office return, will WWDC ’22 also be online?

Perhaps Apple needs to turn its outside spaces into safe and inspiring collaboration hubs?

Just a few weeks ago as the Northern Hemisphere fell into Autumn there seemed to be space for a little optimism, despite an anticipated spike in Delta virus. Omicrom has changed that. Now even the most optimistic business leaders don’t now know when they can plan a return to even hybrid work.

Apple delays return to work

Sad, but unsurprising, an Apple memo has changed the anticipated return date once again. The fourth such change since the pandemic began, Apple has cancelled the scheduled February 1 return and now says it will delay the return until “a date to be determined”. The company returned to a mask mandate in US stores earlier this week.

The company has also said it will support home workers with $1,000 to pay for what they need to make their home working environment better, and this extends to retail staff.

Apple had originally planned to move to a hybrid working environment in which staff were expected to show three days a week and could work remotely for an additional month each year.

“We are delaying the start of our hybrid work pilot to a date yet to be determined,” wrote Cook in a memo to staff. He noted that offices “remain open” and said “many of our colleagues are coming in regularly,” a memo carried by Bloomberg said.

That’s a nice home office right there.

Apple may still want people back in its offices, but not at the expense of employee and extended family safety. Now Apple joins Microsoft, Google, and Amazon in waiting until the situation improves before beginning to work toward the new normal, but this will take some time to reach by the looks.

Will WWDC 2022 be online?

Apple’s annual developer event usually takes place in June. Apple has run this as an online event for two years during the pandemic, and I think we all had high hopes next year might see some return to an in-person show.

However, now office return seems a distant hope and a wave of uncertainty about to strike the idea of an in-person show now seems a lot more problematic on the grounds that the company won’t want to place its key personnel, developer community and industry champions at risk.

It needs those people and unless we see dramatic change in the situation an online even now seems more likely, as it seems unlikely the full storm will have blown over by June.

Of course, if corporations want a return to normal life, then they’ll have to apply pressure to waive vaccine patents and raise a lot of cash to educate those who mistrust vaccines and to provide support and infrastructure into nations whose raw materials we all consume, but who somehow lack the resources to protect their own populations.

No one is safe until everyone is safe, and right now, no one is safe.

Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.