Apple is trying to speed up the product development in Asia and generally, so they’re increasing their staff on the continent. They are planning to hire hundreds of new engineers and supply chain managers in China and Taiwan, for the Taiwan and Shanghai offices.
They have already added hundreds of new engineers to their staff, as well as operations managers in China, for the past 2 years. Right now they have over 600 people filling these positions in China alone. The company’s expansion in China has been long delayed and done in small steps, with multiple visits required from both Tim Cook and Steve Jobs to get the contracts signed.
In a country where white box device makers are kings and the black market spawned tons of iPhone clones and real handsets with too low prices, it’s easy to fear failure. Apple did manage to do quite well on this market and in Asia overall, so that’s why this expansion is in full bloom. Adding to that their hugely important relationship with Foxconn and TSMC, it’s good to be close to your product makers…
