Apple is expanding its foothold in India, opening a new office in Hyderabad to focus on accelerating Maps development.
The company also announced a new development center in Bengaluru, set to open in 2017.
The office in Hyderabad, however, will focus on developing Maps for Apple products such as the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. According to Apple, this venture will create up to 4,000 jobs in the region.
"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," says Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Apple first launched its Maps app on iOS back in 2012 but had a rather rocky start. The software was not exactly fine-tuned, and the Internet was riddled with proof of Apple Maps failures.
The company has since improved its mapping service, adding new updates and features such as Flyover, 3D views, various tools and more. Transit became available in Apple Maps with iOS 9, offering information on trains, buses, subways and walking for more than 300 cities worldwide.
Nevertheless, Apple Maps still trails Google Maps when it comes to feature and global coverage. Additional investments will help Apple further refine its mapping service, and the new office in India is an important step forward in this direction.
The new Maps development office is located in the Waverock campus of Hyderabad, where Apple will hire local talent to expand its team. The company teamed up with RMSI, which provides development expertise and software for geo-spatial services.
RMSI CEO Anup Jindal says the company will hire thousands of local people as part of this effort.
Apple already counts more than 640,000 jobs across India, and the thousands of new positions should notably boost its position and foothold in the country. Moreover, Apple partner Foxconn is reportedly looking to build a manufacturing plant in India, which would focus exclusively on building iDevices. This means that we could soon see iPhones made in India, albeit Foxconn's rumored venture is yet to be confirmed.
