Apple is hoping to start a research and development center in Beijing, according to
Tencent. A source for the site says that on January 8th, during his recent tour of China, Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned the plans in a meeting with acting Beijing mayor Wang Anshun. Apple has been working on expanding its R&D footprint outside of the US --
mainly in Israel, but it may also be
considering Russia.
Cook has also
reportedly indicated that Apple will move some of its iTunes servers to China. Instead of exploiting cheaper labor and expenses, the interest is said to lie in improving speeds for Chinese users when they download content like apps. IT sources argue that Apple will establish a center either in Zhangjiakou, to the northwest of Beijing, or in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region on the border of Mongolia itself.
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