Apple announced late last week (in a Chinese-language-only announcement) that it will set up two additional R&D centers in China, in the cities of Shanghai and Suzhou. As a friend of mine put it, “Having any intellectual property development in a country that has zero respect for intellectual property rights seems a strange thing to do. Unless it’s a camouflaged bribe in order to be permitted to sell iPhones in China.” Dow-Jones News Service reports: The new centers, to be set up in Shanghai and Suzhou, bring Apple's total commitment to R&D facilities in China to more than 3.5 billion yuan, or about $500 million, Apple said Friday in an announcement it issued only in Chinese. It last year committed to opening a similar center in Shenzhen, and currently operates one in Beijing. [Apple CEO Tim] Cook is expected to mention those commitments in a speech on innovation and corporate social responsibility at the China Development Forum, an event for...(Read Full Post)