Apple has confirmed that it will open its first retail store in Southeast Asia, located in Singapore, as the U.S. phone maker begins to increase its efforts in the region's fast-growing smartphone market. The company quietly began hiring for staff to fill its upcoming Singapore store last week - as Tech In Asia first reported - and today Angela Ahrendts, Apple's Senior Vice President for Retail and Online Stores, confirmed that an Apple Store is indeed coming. Analyst firm IDC reported this summer that sales of smartphones across Southeast Asia, which counts a cumulative population of over 500 million, grew by 66 percent year-on-year to reach 24 million units between April and June.