Apple opens first iOS app centre in Europe but UK misses out

Apple has opened its first European iOS App Development Centre, but has chosen to base the office in Italy rather than the UK.

The centre will be located in Naples with an as yet unnamed “partner institution”, and Apple said that the facility will offer the chance for developers and technology teachers to learn more about how to build apps for the iOS platform.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that opening the centre in Europe is evidence of ongoing growth in the App Store economy and the firm's desire to help more people use the platform to turn ideas into real products.  

“Europe is home to some of the most creative developers in the world and we are thrilled to be helping the next generation of entrepreneurs in Italy get the skills they need for success,” he said.

“The phenomenal success of the App Store is one of the driving forces behind the more than 1.4 million jobs Apple has created in Europe, and presents unlimited opportunities for people of all ages and businesses of all sizes across the continent.”

Indeed, Apple recently revealed that users of iOS products spent a whopping $1.1bn in the App Store in the two-week Christmas period, and that the total paid to developers since 2008 is $40bn.

Interestingly, $13bn of this was generated in the past year alone, suggesting that the app economy is still in a major growth phase and that people are more willing to spend money to access key content and services as device capabilities improve.

The opening of the iOS App Development Centre is good news for Italy, but the decision not to base the centre in the UK will be a disappointment to those hoping to turn the UK, and in particular London, into the tech hub of Europe