Chinese media, government confirms Apple research center in Beijing tech corridor

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion
According to Chinese media, Apple is launching its first research and development center in the country, located in long-time technology incubation area Zhongguancun Science Park, Beijing.









While Apple has yet to comment on the matter, a statement issued by the Zhongguancun Park Management Committee to several Chinese media outlets has identified Apple's presence in the area.



According to reports collated by Digitimes, the center has a budget of about $15 million, with a long-term expenditure goal of $45 million over the next few years. The center is allegedly seeking to hire around 500 workers, with no particular focus beyond Apple products and software.



The move mirrors similar setups in Japan, and Israel. The recently centers in India appear to specialize more on coding aspects.



Zhongguancun is a technology hub situated in Haidian District, Beijing, China. The central government of China's official name for the area is the "Zhongguancun Science & Technology Zone."



The area also houses China headquarters and research centers for AMD, Google, Intel, Lenovo, Oracle, and Sony.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,808member
    Does Apple really want to keep investing in China? Seems like they're your friend one day and totally against you the next. I don't think putting a research center there will fix that issue. If China wants to tomorrow, they'll drop the hammer on Apple, even if its for something absurd. And, I don't mean that Apple should be able to do anything they want in China. Apple is a perfect company and they can do things wrong and should be punished for it just like anyone else. But it just seems like Apple isn't appreciated there sometimes for what they've done. They aren't always treated what I think its fair.
    edited September 2016 patchythepirate
  • Reply 2 of 9
    NY1822NY1822 Posts: 621member
    Hopefully they will only be developing new ipad cases there.
    robin huberpatchythepirate
  • Reply 3 of 9
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    macxpress said:
    Does Apple really want to keep investing in China? Seems like they're your friend one day and totally against you the next. I don't think putting a research center there will fix that issue. If China wants to tomorrow, they'll drop the hammer on Apple, even if its for something absurd. 
    There's thousands of US companies with an R&D presence in China. For the most part they feel that IP enforcement has become much more fair over the past 5 years. That's a plus. Where they are very concerned is with a relatively recent uptick in Chinese antitrust actions against Western companies. About a third of those companies surveyed recently cited Chinese protectionism as a growing and serious challenge to their businesses in mainland China. It's certainly possible that Apple could find itself under the antitrust microscope if they don't play their cards right. 
    stantheman
  • Reply 4 of 9
    revenantrevenant Posts: 621member
    China has asked apple for their source code more than once. I hope they are not bringing it with them, a raid and confiscation would all they would need. 
    perkedel
  • Reply 5 of 9
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,913member
    This is how China has screwed American and other companies. Low tech, let general Chinese companies copy and high end tech, government inspired hack and steal to handover to their high tech companies copy. No matter which way you look at, you are screwed in China.
  • Reply 6 of 9
    65026502 Posts: 380member
    First China steals our manufacturing jobs now they're taking our high tech jobs. Maybe now there will be fewer H1B employees here now, but I doubt it. Xiaomi and Huawei are the real winners in this; now they don't have to wait for Apple to release their next iPhone to copy their technology, now they can copy it before it is even released.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 9
    frankiefrankie Posts: 381member
    wood1208 said:
    This is how China has screwed American and other companies. Low tech, let general Chinese companies copy and high end tech, government inspired hack and steal to handover to their high tech companies copy. No matter which way you look at, you are screwed in China.
    From what I see over the last 20-30 years huge Americans companies happily sold their souls to china for cheap labor and huge profits, paying as little taxes as possible, destroying the workforce in America, and all while our fast-slipping middle class tax money pays for the almost 1 Trillion a year military to protect them.

    China hasn't screwed Americans companies, American companies have screwed Americans.
    edited September 2016 singularitywatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 9
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,960member
    NY1822 said:
    Hopefully they will only be developing new ipad cases there.
    Amen to that. If Apple was smart they would develop "top secret" projects there that they never intend to pursue. Or, they can use the offices as a test bed for the detection of espionage devices and techniques.  
  • Reply 9 of 9
    stanthemanstantheman Posts: 332member
    Smart move, both from a business perspective and a political one. Apple is launching similar operations in other nations where it has big plans for the future (sales). Delighting customers sometimes requires a local presence: not every good idea finds its way to Cupertino without a healthy farm system. This is one element of constructing a moat around iPhone that will help ensure Apple's future.
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