2020 is a census year, and while you can easily fill out your census form online, there will still be hundreds of thousands of census enumerators going door-to-door to count those that don’t fill out the census on their own. This year, those enumerators will forgo the usual pen and clipboard for the convenience of an iPhone 8 handset.
2020 marks the first time that U.S. households will be able to fill out their census form online. It also marks the first time that so census-takers going door-to-door will use iPhone 8 devices in place of the traditional paper forms.
AppleInsider reports the U.S. government has contracted with Illinois-based firm CDW-G to lease 500,000 iPhone 8 models for census employees, known as enumerators, who go door-to-door to take count.
“We are proud that the US Census Bureau will use the iPhone for the collection and management of 2020 census data,” an Apple spokesperson told CNET.
“The census is an important constitutional cornerstone that aims to ensure every one of us has equal representation, education and access in America,” Apple said.
Officials estimate that approximately 60% of folks will respond to the census questionnaires online, or via the phone or email, enumerators will be tasked with counting the stragglers. Nearly 500,000 temporary employees will cover the country between May and August.
CDW-G had proposed the iPhone 6 as the primary census-taking device in 2020. But once the iPhone 8 launched in 2017, the company realized that it could upgrade to the newer model without a jump in price.
When the census drive ends in August, the Census Bureau will ship the 500,000 Apple smartphones back to CDW-G. The contractor will then wipe the devices and reuse them for other projects.