Apple plans five developer academies and an Istanbul center in Türkiye
Apple will open five Developer Academies, an Istanbul Developer Center and an Ankara manufacturing academy from 2027.
Apple · Macfolio · 10 November 2026
Apple announced a multiyear investment in Türkiye on November 9, 2026, aimed at developers and manufacturers rather than consumers. The plan, published on Apple's Turkish Newsroom during executive chairman Tim Cook's visit, covers five Apple Developer Academies, one Apple Developer Center and one Apple Manufacturing Academy, with the first sites opening in 2027.
What Apple is building, and when
According to Apple's announcement:
- Five Developer Academies across Türkiye over the next three years, the first in Istanbul in 2027, offering free, intensive nine-month programs in coding, design, marketing, project management and AI
- An Apple Developer Center in Istanbul in 2027, hosting in-person events, workshops and one-on-one appointments, joining centers in Bengaluru, Berlin, Cupertino, Shanghai and Singapore
- An Apple Manufacturing Academy in Ankara in 2028, offering free training and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses, students and entrepreneurs
Apple says the Ankara academy will be its second manufacturing academy and the first outside the United States. Its curriculum covers machine learning, predictive maintenance, advanced automation and robotics. Apple counts 19 Developer Academies worldwide today. Apple did not disclose a dollar figure or headcount for the investment.
Who this matters to
For developers in Türkiye and nearby, the Istanbul center adds a local venue for labs and workshops that until now have mostly meant travel to another center. For students, the academies are a free route into App Store development. Small manufacturers get free Apple-led training in Ankara.
This does not mean Apple is moving device production to Türkiye. The manufacturing academy is a training program for local businesses, not an Apple factory, and nothing in the announcement changes product pricing or availability there.
Our take: developer centers are among Apple's more practical outreach programs, so a sixth location is good news for the region's app makers. Without a budget figure, judge it by what opens in 2027.
Caveats: the announcement was published in Turkish, details here are our translation, and Apple gave only opening years, not exact dates.