Apple is believed to be in the process of drawing together a virtual helpdesk consisting of 450 employees working from home.

Numerous job listings have been spotted on Apple.com, Monster.com, Yahoo HotJobs and MySpace Jobs for the position of “Apple At Home Experts”.

The requirements listed on the ads include access to a private and quiet workspace and an ergonomically fitted chair and desk. It also includes a dedicated phone line and internet connection, both of which would be subsidized by Apple.

Maggie Klenke, a partner at a Tennessee school for training call center employees, said the use of such a “virtual helpdesk” for Apple’s technical support could greatly improve the quality of service they offer to customers.

They project needing this due to the introduction of the new iPhone later in the year, plus a few reports have trickled down the grapevine about inconsistent customer service being offered by Apple of late. Still, this move isn’t characteristic of Apple’s previous history (being a secretive, closed “society” of sorts), but hey, as times change, they’ve shown their flexibility as well.