Apple has been offering Product Red
versions of its devices and accessories for many years, with a portion of the
proceeds going towards helping eliminate HIV/AIDS. With the newly announced
2020 iPhone SE coming out on April 24th, amid the coronavirus pandemic, with a
gorgeous Product Red version to be one of its available colors, Apple began
distributing some of the Product Red proceeds towards the Global Fund's
COVID-19 Response.
This is to continue until the end of the
year and includes a wide range of Product Red Apple devices and accessories,
from iPhones, iPhone and iPad cases, to Apple Watch bands and more. But most
notably, the campaign will include the upcoming iPhone SE model's red color
variant.
Red itself is a brand that gets licensed
to many businesses interested in supporting its goals of raising funds and
awareness towards the elimination of HIV/AIDS in several African countries.
It's licensed to partners such as Nike, The Coca-Cola Company, Starbucks,
Converse, Electronic Arts, Gap, Armani, and of course, Apple, among many
others. After licensing it, each partner creates products with the Product Red
logo, with up to 50% of the profits gained through sales of said product going
to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
In a late 2018 tweet by Red, it was
announced that Apple has helped raise US$ 200 million, with 100% of that going
towards ending AIDS. The company also thanked everybody who bought Apple
Product Red devices and accessories.
Apple has been active in efforts to
relieve the impact of coronavirus since the outbreak started, with a donation
of US$ 15 million to various groups fighting COVID-19 in the US and
internationally. Apple CEO Tim Cook also shared on Twitter about the donation
of 10 million masks for the US, plus "millions more" for struggling
regions in Europe. Cook has also shown support towards China during the
difficult times, with an additional Apple donation going towards six hospitals
in the region of Hubei, in the amount of roughly US$ 7 million.
