Apple's largest research lab outside the US opens in China
Apple has opened a new testing and development lab for the iPhone and Apple Vision Pro in Shenzhen, China, with plans for 1,000 staff.

Buildings in Shenzhen, China [Source: Pexels/Lywin]
As first revealed when under construction in July 2024, the new research center is part of the company's expanding R&D efforts in China. According to the South China Morning Post, the new lab opened on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
Situated in Shenzhen Park in Hetao, around seven miles from the Apple Holiday Plaza Shenzhen store, the lab currently spans 215,000 square feet. Expected to expand later, the lab is part of the region's Greater Bay Area economic development hub.
Said to be for testing and research concerning the company's major products, specifically the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. It's not clear how many staff are now working at the lab, but reportedly the intention is to ultimately employ over 1,000 people.
Shenzhen has long been the site of Apple's major manufacturing partners in China. Apple has also been conducting research and development in the city since around 2017.
The new research lab comes as Apple has been increasingly moving its production away from China, to new facilities in countries such as India and Vietnam.
However, most recently, a fire at a key factory in India may force Apple to move back a proportion of its iPhone manufacturing to China.
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Comments
But now I read this. Apple is building the 2nd largest research lab in China. So has Apple become a Chinese stooge? I mean that's how a syllogism works.
Crazy, crazy, crazy.
Oh you knew Jobs well, did you! lol. No. Jobs cut the Mac line down because the company was failing financially and needed more wood, fewer arrows. Not the Apple of today, as market leader it’s more important to deal with “pricing umbrellas”, look it up.
Suckers fall for the Musk glitter but it’s still nonsense.
The centre is also on Huawei turf. They have another in San Diego on Qualcomm turf.
Perhaps hoping to pick up talent in those hubs.
I share your sentiments. I’ve been an Apple customer for years—long before iPhones and iPods—and it’s disheartening to see how the company has drifted from its original path. There’s a certain arrogance in their presentations now, they feel impersonal, and no one there has the same charisma that Steve Jobs had. Since his passing, Apple has been recycling the same products, with only a few minor exceptions —most of which still look and feel remarkably similar.
It feels like Apple is hesitant to innovate because their current products are still selling well. The problem is, they’ve become too comfortable. It seems like the company is filled with executives collecting six-figure salaries while Apple stagnates. The spark has gone out—Apple has become both lazy and overly concerned with being “woke.” Instead of giving us small, incremental updates, they should return to their roots and start truly innovating again. After ten years, you’d expect at least a visual refresh of iOS, much like we used to get with macOS upgrades back when Steve was at the helm. Those updates felt revolutionary, and unfortunately, that sense of excitement has disappeared.
Yes Jobs did make tough decisions to keep the company afloat, but he also had a knack for reinventing things. The difference is, he didn’t just cut for the sake of cutting; he had a vision. Right now, it feels like Apple’s just… well, lost...
Love him or hate him, Elon is undeniably a visionary. You might not like his approach or think it’s all “glitter”, smoke and mirrors, but the fact that he’s founded several successful multibillion-dollar companies—like SpaceX, Tesla, PayPal, and OpenAI—suggests he’s clearly onto something.
Being a “visionary” is rather effortless, we can all do it. Very easy.
Implementing ideas and bringing successful products to market is much, much harder, and Apple excels at this.
To believe Apple is lost because they don’t have a windbag spouting vaporware nonsense is absurd. They have a vision and they’re working toward it every single year. The products they put in my hands are hands down the best iterations of each category. And no, iteration isn’t a bad world - it’s how apple rolls. Always has.
Ohhhh I get it, you’re one of the “Woke mind virus!” guys. Please define “woke” for us. What is it?! Working to ensure minorities have equality to the longstanding majority is not a bad thing, and has been in Apple’s DNA since…Jobs himself, derrr.
As for incremental design - you really have no clue about Apple whatsoever, that’s how they’ve operated for decades. Gruber wrote about over a decade ago!
https://daringfireball.net/2010/05/this_is_how_apple_rolls
...iterative product development is the name of the game. It’s how we got from the original iPhone/Mac/Watch/whatever to the current versions, or iterations. They don't pop out of a clamshell, fully formed. They polish and improve and next thing you know, the current version is crazy good.
The low hanging fruit has been claimed, so you won’t see huge gains as in the early days of the smart phone. This is not new, or unexpected. Your excitement has waned because the category had matured. You cannot find your life’s excitement from product announcements, you must find meaning elsewhere.
ps - six-figure salaries aren’t for executives. Every single one of my ICs earns a six-figure salary now.
What is the reason Apple would create 1000 RESEARCH jobs in reach of the CCP?!
I don’t understand. I am an investor in Apple.
I’m happy to disagree with your perspective. Your tone feels condescending, and there’s a certain “I know it all” attitude, so it seems like there’s not much point in having a meaningful discussion with you.
The fact that he (Musk) comes from a well off family is irrelevant. You're free to think that Elon Musk is an "imbecile" but for a man that has created so many jobs - for example Tesla with 140,000+ employees and SpaceX with 13,000 - it's hard to grasp the basis of your opinion...By your tone it might be envy...who knows... and who cares... You don't have to like him but there is no denying that Musk has driven huge advances in space, electric cars and energy. Whether you like him or not, Tesla, SpaceX and other ventures have fundamentally altered industries. I'd say that for being such an "imbecile" he has done pretty good for himself and others... Now that I think about it, you’d probably say the same thing about Steve Jobs—except that he didn’t come from a wealthy family, which seems to be a “sin” in the eyes of some.Since being a visionary is apparently so easy and effortless, I’m sure you’ve done quite well for yourself, right?
if you want more evidence look at electric cars worldwide.
China trains go at 400 km USA at 70-90 km max.
I own Apple shares and other American tech stocks but no Chinese. So I’m not cheering China trounces usa. I’m just pointing out reality and giving some insight to what Apple is doing. Just like Western car companies cooperate make joint ventures with China like in battery tech or die.