Apple Announces iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru

Apple on Wednesday announced it would establish a Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru for iOS apps, with the aims to help "support engineering talent" and "accelerate growth" in India's developer community. The company said the development centre is planned to open in early 2017.

Calling Bengaluru the "home of India's startup scene," the company in a press statement said the opening of the development centre will help provide additional, specialized support for the "tens of thousands of developers in India" that make apps for iOS.

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about the initiative in the statement, saying, "India is home to one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world. With the opening of this new facility in Bengaluru, we're giving developers access to tools which will help them create innovative apps for customers around the world."

The Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru will see the Apple team work alongside developers to teach best practices, with experts from the company holding briefings and providing one-on-one app reviews for developers. Apple said the Bengaluru facility will teach Swift to developers, Apple's programming language used to build apps for iOS, OS X, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar was also quoted to say, "Apple's investment in Bengaluru through its iOS Development Accelerator will have far-reaching effects for the area's rapidly growing and highly talented developer community. The skills and training they gain through this effort will significantly improve their app design and help them reach a broader market. Initiatives like these move the country forward in our efforts to advance a growth-led and sustainable technology sector."