Ahead Of Tim Cook's Announcement, The Scoop On Apple's Hyderabad Plans

Hyderabad: Hyderabad, IT central, is going to get a big new endorsement - and business - tomorrow.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook will be in the city tomorrow where, sources confirmed, he will announce a new digital maps centre for the Telangana capital.

There are reports of 2,500 new jobs and the launching, within a year, of a mega campus for Apple. Government sources denied the latter, stating that Apple will work out of an existing software hub that's part of a Special Economic Zone.

Details will be revealed by Mr Cook and KTR, the IT minister of Telangana at a scheduled appearance tomorrow.  KTR's father, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao or KCR, is likely to be present, said top government sources.

The set-up in Hyderabad will be the mega-brand's first technology centre outside the US.  

According to Telangana's IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, the facility's servers will be based in the US with technical and support services provided in Hyderabad.
 Mr Cook is in Mumbai today where he began his day by visiting the famous Siddhivinayak temple. He later announced that Apple was planning to build a new app design facility in Bangalore early next year. "India is home to one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world," he said in a statement.

Before he leaves the country, he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he encountered in Silicon Valley last year.

India recently rejected Apple's proposal to import and sell refurbished phones in the country - a move seen as key to appealing to price-sensitive consumers.

Mr Cook's India visit, following a trip to China, comes at a crucial time as Apple looks for new growth markets after posting its first ever decline in iPhone sales.

India is keen to know if Apple has plans to set up production facilities, which would be a boost for Mr Modi's "Make in India" manufacturing push.

"If they can make in China to cater to the Chinese market then they can make for Indian markets here," said a government source to news agency Reuters.

Maharashtra is already in talks with Apple product maker Foxconn Technology over it setting up an iPhone plant there.

In India, Apple is looking to set up its first retail outlet, as it only has about a 2 percent market share. But its sales there surged 56 percent in the first three months of this year, driven mainly by cheaper older-generation devices such as the iPhone 5S.

More than 100 million smartphones were sold in India last year and the market is expected to grow by 25 percent this year, making India one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world.