New Delhi: Apple Inc today announced the opening of a new office in Hyderabad that will focus on development of its Maps product including iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. This investment will accelerate Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobs, said the company.
The company, however, did not disclose the quantum of investment that it intends to invest on the facility. “We are thrilled to open this new office in Hyderabad which will focus on Maps development,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO in a press statement.
“The talent here in the local area is incredible and we are looking forward to expanding our relationships and introducing more universities and partners to our platforms as we scale our operations,” he added.
Besides, Apple has been continually updating and adding new features to Maps including 3D views, the Flyover feature and tools to help customers find convenient places to shop, eat and explore nearby areas, the statement said. These options are available in the US, Europe and China.
However, this has remained a neglected feature in India. But now with a new dedicated development office for Maps in India, it looks like Apple plans to change all of this.
The new facility, located on the Waverock campus, will provide a world-class, LEED-certified home for the expanding Maps team, the company said.
“We are honoured Apple chose Hyderabad as a home for its Maps development office,” said Telangana Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao in a statement. “This will create thousands of jobs here and is a testament to our proactive approach, quality infrastructure and the excellent talent base we have in the region,” added Rao.
Echoing similar sentiments, CEO of RMSI Anup Jindal said, “Apple is one of the most innovative companies in the world. We are very proud they chose us to partner with for this important project.” RMSI is a global IT services company providing GIS, modeling and analytics and software services. “We are experts in geospatial data and we will be hiring thousands of people from the local area to support this effort,” Jindal said.
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s India visit has seen two top announcements from the company. Yesterday Apple announced that it will open a new iOS App Development Centre in Bengaluru to encourage start-ups, iOS app developers in India and provide them with guidance. Cook is expected to meet India’s Prime Minister PM Modi and many other officials later this week. Apple supports over 6,40,000 iOS app developer jobs and other positions related to the iOS ecosystem across India, the statement said.
PTI