Apple Inc. will set up a research and development center in China’s manufacturing metropolis Shenzhen, the US tech giant said, as the firm looks to spur growth in the world’s second largest economy amid growing competition.
The Shenzhen hub follows a similar plan for a center in Beijing, and comes as Apple is looking to bounce back in China, where local rivals like Huawei Technologies, OPPO and Vivo have been taking market share from its flagship iPhone.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook announced the plan during a meeting with senior officials from the southern Chinese city where he is attending a nation-wide innovation event, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.
“We are excited to be opening a new Research and Development center here next year so our engineering team can work even more closely and collaboratively with our manufacturing partners,” Cupertino-based Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said in e-mailed comments.
“The Shenzhen center, along with the Beijing center, is also aimed at strengthening relationships with local partners and universities as we work to support talent development across the country,” he said.
The Shenzhen Economic Daily, citing Cook, said Apple was keen to attract talented software developers in the city.
In August Cook unveiled plans for a Beijing-based R&D facility, its first in China, and promised to invest more in China during a visit to the country.
In a separate development, the epic patent clash between Apple and Samsung went before the US Supreme Court, as the smartphone giants debated the value of design in a case with major implications for the technology sector.
The eight justices on the top court appeared divided on how to resolve the complex dispute over damages the South Korean smartphone giant owes Apple for copying key design features of the iPhone.
Samsung, which has been ordered to pay $400 million for violating certain iPhone features, is challenging the legal precedent which requires the forfeiture of all profits from a product even if only a single design patent is infringed upon.
This key question on the value of design patents has rallied Samsung supporters in the tech sector, and Apple backers in the creative and design communities.
The justices Tuesday offered some support for both sides without providing a hint on the outcome of the case.
Justice Anthony Kennedy said Samsung’s argument would create confusion for jurors in trying to apportion damages.
The court debate moved from smartphones to automobiles, and the importance of design to the Volkswagen Beetle, for example.

Source: Arab News