Apple is planning to expand its research and development facilities in Shanghai and Shenzhen in China, the Cupertino firm announced today.
Apple told the South China Morning Post that it plans to expand its Shanghai research center “to support all of its product lines,” as well as open a new lab in Shenzhen later in 2024 that will work on testing and research of major products including the iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro headset.
Apple’s vice-president and managing director of Greater China, Isabel Ge Mahe, said in the statement that the company is “proud” to cultivate deeper ties in China and expand its facilities in the country.
Apple has already invested $139.2 million into its Shanghai research center, she added.
Earlier this month, the company said it was opening another physical Apple Store on March 21 in Shanghai’s Jing’an district, the city’s central commercial area.
That comes after Apple’s iPhone sales on the mainland fell 24% year on year over the first six weeks of 2024, as total smartphone sales in the market declined by 7% in the same period because of increased competition and muted consumer spending, according to a report by Counterpoint Research.
