Yesterday we posted a report titled "Apple to Open First-of-its-Kind iOS App Design Center and Development Accelerator in India," followed by a second report titled "Apple's CEO has a Big Agenda in India this Week." Well, Apple's making headlines again today by announcing the opening of a new developement office in Hyderabad that will focus on development of Maps for Apple products, including iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. This investment will accelerate Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobs.

In a statement, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said that "Apple is focused on making the best products and services in the world and we are thrilled to open this new office in Hyderabad which will focus on Maps development. 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."

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. 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.

Telangana Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao stated in the press release that "We are honored 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."

RMSI is a global IT services company providing geospatial and software services to clients across the globe, in sectors ranging from utilities, wireless telecommunications, land information management, agriculture & natural resources, and risk and insurance. The CEO of RMSI, Anup Jindal, stated that "Apple is one of the most innovative companies in the world and we are very proud they chose us to partner with for this important project. We are experts in geospatial data and we will be hiring thousands of people from the local area to support this effort."

Across India, Apple supports over 640,000 iOS app developer jobs and other positions related to the iOS ecosystem.

With so much positive activity occurring in India in the past few days and Apple enthusiastically showing their commitment to the Indian market, we can only hope that Tim Cook's scheduled meeting with India's Prime Minister this weekend will result in Apple being granted license to begin building out new Apple Stores.

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