With the hopes of fast tracking business in India, Apple now has collaborated with the Indian Government in the development of high-speed rail.
As reported by Business Today on Friday, Apple is among a group of technology firms that will help the Indian railway increase the train speeds up to as much as 600 KM per hour.
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu was quoted saying, “We are already working with companies like Apple… technology will not only be imported in India but will be co- developed in India.” The Indian government expects to build technology that will raise train speeds on its two busiest corridors, Delhi to Mumbai and Delhi to Kolkata.
Is Apple trying too hard?
When you think about Apple’s involvement in developing railways, the first thought that comes to mind is that it’s pretty much an odd fit. But the big plans that Apple has for increasing their market share in India is no secret. It’s after all, one of the largest, and the last remaining, growing smartphone markets in the world. It is expected that by the end of the next five years, there will be a billion smartphone users in the country.
So, while Apple has been negotiating with the government to set up Apple Stores in India, they also want to offer the maximum contribution to developing the existing technology in the country. They have already opened research centres in Bangalore and begun making iPhone SE in India. The prices of their devices have also been slashed down to meet the market standards. The Cupertino giant has also created a number of jobs in hardware and app development in the country.
How will Apple contribute to Indian railways?
Apple is going to great lengths to raise its profile in India, but we wonder what the company can do to increase train speeds. A few ideas that blogs like Apple Must have suggested include the company’s involvement in self-driving cars.
“Mobile devices and the implications of software on transportation are key areas of interest to the company,” Johnny Evans, the editor-in-chief of the blog writes. So, maybe Apple has figured out a way to apply the self-driving vehicle technology to improve other forms of transportation. In other speculation, the tech giant may be contributing with some developer experience drawn from its Maps team.
It certainly will be interesting to find out how Apple got associated with the Indian Government in building super-fast trains. Till then all we can do is wait.