Apple celebrates 40 years of innovation, education, and progress in Singapore

FEATUREJuly 22, 2021

Apple celebrates 40 years of innovation, education, and progress in Singapore

For the last four decades, Apple has called Singapore home. Throughout that time, Apple has worked to foster job creation, economic growth, educational outreach, and environmental sustainability, propelling its partnership for the next 40 years and beyond.

In 1981, when the country was a fledgling 16-year-old nation, Apple's first office there opened with 72 employees and manufacturing focused on the Apple II.

Today, Singapore is Apple's base for Asia Pacific operations and a globally recognised centre of innovation and expertise as the country embraces a high-tech vision for the future.

'We're thrilled to be celebrating this important milestone with our teams in Singapore, and the customers and communities they serve with creativity and passion,' says Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail + People. 'Together, we've created an enduring partnership rooted in our shared values that will empower us to build a brighter tomorrow.'

Singapore is home to more than 3,500 Apple team members representing over 50 nationalities, and the company supports over 55,000 jobs in Singapore, including through the thriving iOS app economy.

That includes developer Mighty Bear Games, which started as a team of four in 2016 and has since grown to a staff of 53.

'People have started realising that Singapore is very hot and there's a lot happening here for app development,' says Simon Davis, co-founder and CEO of Mighty Bear. 'I think that's because the Singapore government's approach has been one of openness - they've always welcomed talent and worked to grow the tech ecosystem here. And I think that's something that Apple has always tapped into.'

Mighty Bear's game 'Butter Royale' has been consistently ranked in the top 20 Apple Arcade games globally, and it's one of the many independent developers out of Singapore attracting international attention.

'We've always had quite a symbiotic relationship with Apple,' says Davis. 'Its presence in the developer ecosystem here does a lot for the community.'

Apple is proud to partner with educational institutions throughout Singapore to create opportunity for future generations to innovate, express their creativity, and teach others, especially in the STEM fields.

Singapore is home to five Apple Distinguished Schools, including Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah, Singapore's oldest Islamic education institution for girls. All of its educators are certified Apple Teachers, trained in foundational skills for iPad and Mac, while students learn basic Swift coding as part of their core curriculum. Melding tradition with technology, the school's Arabic studies curriculum is accessed through a series of books on iPad.

'Over a decade ago, we saw the potential of technology for learning and took a big leap to bring iPad into the classroom, so we are very happy to be counted as an Apple Distinguished School,' says Syed Mustafa Alsagoff, principal of Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah. 'Apple shares the same vision of nurturing innovation and creativity, which has inspired us to continue challenging the traditional ways of learning in a classroom as we educate the next wave of women leaders.'

In 2018, Apple launched its Swift Accelerator program in Singapore to introduce students to coding using the Swift programming language and Everyone Can Code curriculum. At the same time, the government of Singapore announced that starting in 2019, it will be mandatory for all upper primary students to learn at least 10 hours of coding. The Swift Accelerator program has now expanded into institutions such as the Singapore University of Technology and Design and Pathlight School for children who have autism.

As the relationship between Apple and Singapore has grown over four decades, so too has the impetus to build a more sustainable future: Apple was the first company in Singapore to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

In 2015, Apple partnered with the government of Singapore and local energy company Sunseap to build solar energy systems to power Apple's four sites and three retail stores on 100 percent renewable energy. Solar panels were placed on more than 800 rooftops of both public-owned buildings and Apple's own facilities, generating 32 megawatts of solar energy in land-scarce Singapore.

'Apple was one of the first major companies in Singapore to partner with Sunseap in our quest to get businesses to tap solar energy for a sustainable future,' says Frank Phuan, Sunseap's co-founder and CEO. 'We are ever grateful to Apple for showing the way forward - their shining example helped speed up adoption across the country and raised awareness in the region of the urgency of mitigating climate change with renewable energy sources.'

Apple's commitment to a healthier future also led to a partnership with Singapore's world-class healthcare system last year to launch LumiHealth, a personalised program to encourage healthy activity and behaviours using Apple Watch and iPhone. Users can adopt healthy habits through personalised reminders, programs, activity coaching, and incentives. Together with Singapore's Health Promotion Board, this unique and first-of-its-kind initiative has empowered thousands of Singaporeans to take positive steps toward a healthier life.

Mighty Bear's co-founder and CEO views the nation's investments into technology as a signal of the progress still to come.

'I see Singapore becoming a powerhouse because of the ecosystem it has created,' says Davis. 'Today's young talents will become tomorrow's experienced developers, thanks in part to support from pioneers like Apple.'

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