Rumor claims Apple Shanghai facility is supply chain center

The <A href="http://www.macnn.com/articles/13/01/28/no.word.on.beijing.rumors/">facility Apple is establishing in Shanghai</a> is actually a supply chain management center, not for research and development, a source tells <em>Tencent</em>. Apple is allegedly hiring supply chain management experts for the project. <em>Tencent</em> moreover claims that Apple China's marketing department has denied the Shanghai facility being for R&D, and stated that CEO Tim Cook didn't promise an R&D complex while he was in the country earlier this month.<br /><br /><em>Tencent</em>'s account may conflict with a <em>China Business News</em> report from Monday, which noted that one building would be used for procurement management but also R&D, and based its story on documents from the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce. At the time, Apple PR refused to comment. <em>Tencent</em> itself earlier claimed that Apple was developing a Beijing R&D center, and that Cook had told the city's acting mayor about the plans.