Apple Inc. has revealed plans to set up two more research centers and boost investment in China, a pivotal market in which the iPhone has been rapidly elbowed aside by local rivals.
Apple said it plans to build new research facilities in the eastern Chinese cities of Shanghai and Suzhou, on top of centers already slated for Beijing and the southern city of Shenzhen. It also pledged to spend at least 3.5 billion yuan ($507 million) on research institutions.
All four centers will open later this year, the company said in a statement on its Chinese website. They will help Apple cooperate with local partners and attract talent from its local suppliers as well as from top educational institutes, according to its press release.
China had for years driven Apple’s spectacular growth, even as smartphone demand elsewhere faltered.The U.S. company is counting on the release of the 10th anniversary iPhone later this year to supercharge growth.
[Source]
