Apple Inc, facing mounting competitive pressure in China, plans to open a new research and development (R&D) facility in the world’s second-biggest economy.
The site will bring together engineers from some of Apple’s existing centers, the company said during chief executive Tim Cook’s visit to Beijing.
Apple did not specify the office’s location or planned number of employees.
The US company has more than doubled its number of corporate sites in China to 45 since 2011, so the move may help it consolidate some of those facilities.
Its spending on research and development has quadrupled in the same time frame as investors are eager to see results from other projects Apple is exploring amid slowing iPhone sales.
Apple has hired thousands of engineers to work on a self-driving car, and is exploring virtual and augmented reality as potential new sources of revenue.
“The center will open later this year, bringing together our engineering and operations teams in China as we develop advanced technologies and services for our products,” Apple said.
China has become an increasingly attractive location to develop new products. The total spent on manufacturing R&D in China jumped from US$92 billion in 2008 to US$243 billion in 2013, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
In the US, it increased from US$204 billion to US$221 billion in the same period.
Apple has also faced mounting regulatory pressure in China. The company was forced to shut down its iTunes Movies and iBooks services there in April, six months after they were permitted to operate. It also lost a patent case against a little-known Chinese rival relating to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, along with a trademark dispute over the use of the word IPHONE on leather goods.
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