Tim Cook inaugurates digital maps centre in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Apple on Thursday announced the opening of a new office here that will focus on development of digital maps for its products including iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.

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The Californian tech giant said in a statement that this investment will accelerate Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobs.

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The company, however, did not disclose the quantum of investment that it intends to invest on the facility.

"We are thrilled to open this new office in Hyderabad which will focus on Maps development," Cook said.

"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," he said.

Apple has been continually updating and adding new features to Maps including 3D views, the Flyover feature and tools to help customers find convenient places to shop, eat and explore nearby areas, the statement said.

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With iOS 9 Apple added Transit, offering a combination of trains, subways, buses and walking, which is already available for more than 300 cities around the world.

The new facility, located on the Waverock campus, will provide a world-class, LEED-certified home for the expanding Maps team, it added. Telangana Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao said the state is honoured that Apple chose Hyderabad as a home for its Maps development office.

"This will create thousands of jobs here and is a testament to our proactive approach, quality infrastructure and the excellent talent base we have in the region," he said.

CEO of RMSI Anup Jindal said, "Apple is one of the most innovative companies in the world. We are very proud they chose us to partner with for this important project."

RMSI is a global IT services company providing GIS, modeling and analytics and software services. "We are experts in geospatial data and we will be hiring thousands of people from the local area to support this effort," Jindal said.

Apple supports over 6,40,000 iOS app developer jobs and other positions related to the iOS ecosystem across India, the statement said.