Apple to launch development centre in Hyderabad on May 19

US technology giant Apple Inc will launch its development centre here on Thursday, officials said. The facility will commence operations on one lakh square feet leased space in WaveRock, a building owned by real estate giant Tishman Speyer at Nanakramguda. However, it was not confirmed if Apple CEO Tim Cook will be present to inaugurate the company's first development centre in India.Cook is expected to visit India later this week and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. He is also expected to visit Mumbai and Hyderabad. While officials in Telangana government's information technology department confirmed that the facility will be launched on Thursday, it has not made any official announcement."Will share a big news with you all day after tomorrow. Suspense till then," tweeted state IT minister K.T. Rama Rao. The US-based firm, which owns iPhone, iPad and other popular consumer electronic brands, plans to expand the facility to 2.5 lakh square feet by next year. It will have 2,500 employees, sources said. The company, which has taken the space on lease at WaveRock, is also planning to build its own campus.Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao or his son IT minister K. T. Rama Rao may make an announcement for allocation of land to Apple for its campus. Cook is also expected to meet Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is trying to attract big ticket investments for his state.IANS