Since 2014 Apple has been doing software development for Apple Maps in southern Sweden. Rapidus can now report that the consumer electronics behemoth has added a new development team in southern Sweden, among others of experts on antenna design for mobile phones.
Among others, Apple has recruited two senior antenna developers from Lite-On Mobile Mechanical, a supplier for the mobile phone industry and a part of Taiwan-based Lite-On Technology. Lite-On Mobile Mechanical had a development office in Lund in southern Sweden focused on antenna design, but the Swedish subsidiary was closed down during the fall.
As usual, Apple is very secretive about its development operations. Henrik Johansson, the former CEO of Lite-On Mobile Mechanicals Swedish subsidiary, confirms to Rapidus that he and his colleague from Lite-On Mobile Mechanical, Max Landaeus, has started working for Apple in Lund. Both have extensive experience in antenna design and development. According to Rapidus information, Apple’s new team in Lund also includes developers with no background from Lite-On.
Apple has been taking an increasing interest in southern Sweden since the company acquired Polar Rose 2010, a startup-company in neighbouring city Malmö focused on computer vision. Apple scooped up another local startup, AlgoTrim in 2013, and one year later it established a site for software development for Apple Maps, now located in Malmö.
Rapidus has been unable to get any comment from Apple about the new development team and the company has never officially confirmed its existing development operations in southern Sweden. But in February they gave an implicit confirmation of its existence by posting a job listing for an engineering manager to lead a team of “highly skilled software engineers to improve Apple Maps” with Malmö as the stated location.
Rapidus
