Apple says new California headquarters to open in April

(Reuters) - Apple's sprawling new campus, dubbed "Apple Park," will open in April, the iPhone maker said on Wednesday.

Although the first wave of employees will begin moving into the new Cupertino, California, headquarters this spring, it will take about six months for all of the 12,000-plus workers to make the transition, Apple said. Construction will run through the summer.

Apple also said the 1,000-seat theatre at its futuristic headquarters will be named for its late co-founder, Steve Jobs, who helped design the 175-acre campus before his death in 2011.

"Steve invested so much of his energy creating and supporting vital, creative environments," Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer, said in a statement. "We have approached the design, engineering and making of our new campus with the same enthusiasm and design principles that characterize our products."

Apple has brought great attention to every aspect of the campus, including a 2.8 million-square-foot main building, scrutinizing even hidden features such as pipes and electrical wiring, Reuters reported earlier this month.

Apple's high standards contributed to delays on the project, former construction managers said. One door handle, for example, took at least a year and a half to design, according to a former construction manager. Apple unveiled its plans for the headquarters in 2011.

(Reporting by Julia Love; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)