It's still early -- Apple hasn't even decided on a location for an eventual campus. Nearly 200 of the planned employees will be working in San Diego before the end of the year, though.

While Apple hasn't signaled just what its new San Diego hires will produce, they might focus on modems. The firm has been hiring for dozens of jobs relating to cellular modems and application processors, while Reuters recently claimed that Apple promoted its modem chip team from the supply chain division to its internal hardware technology group. It could use the San Diego recruiting drive to attract veterans from Qualcomm and other nearby companies, helping it jumpstart its wireless chip efforts while draining the competition.